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Re: Piecewise inside a Module or Block, I don't understand this behavior.

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg83296] Re: Piecewise inside a Module or Block, I don't understand this behavior.
  • From: Jean-Marc Gulliet <jeanmarc.gulliet at gmail.com>
  • Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:15:22 -0500 (EST)
  • Organization: The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • References: <fhjs9v$4vg$1@smc.vnet.net>

W. Craig Carter wrote:

> I have a Piecewise function calculated in a module:
> Here is a simplifed example of something which has a
> behavior that puzzles me.
> 
> a[c_, d_] :=
>   Module[{e, f}, e = d^2; f = c^2;
>    Return[Piecewise[{e, 0 < x < 1/2}, {f, 1/2 < x <= 1}]]];
> a[1,2] (*doen't return what I had anticipated*)
> 
> (*However this does*)
> a[c_, d_] :=
> Module[{e, f}, e = d^2; f = c^2;
> Return[Piecewise[{d^2, 0 < x < 1/2}, {c^2, 1/2 < x <= 1}]]];
> a[1,2]

<snip>

All this is just about a syntax error you made.

First, note that, as posted, none of the above examples works: they both 
return the same error message complaining about the erroneous structure 
of the argument given to Piecewise.

In[1]:= a[c_, d_] := Module[{e, f}, e = d^2; f = c^2;
    Return[Piecewise[{e, 0 < x < 1/2}, {f, 1/2 < x <= 1}]]];
a[1, 2]

a[c_, d_] := Module[{e, f}, e = d^2; f = c^2;
    Return[Piecewise[{d^2, 0 < x < 1/2}, {c^2, 1/2 < x <= 1}]]];
a[1, 2]

During evaluation of In[1]:= Piecewise::pairs: The first argument 
{4,0<x<1/2} of Piecewise is not a list of pairs. >>

Out[2]=
                          1          1
Piecewise[{e$65, 0 < x < -}, {f$65, - < x <= 1}]
                          2          2

During evaluation of In[1]:= Piecewise::pairs: The first argument 
{4,0<x<1/2} of Piecewise is not a list of pairs. >>

Out[4]=
             2          1     2  1
Piecewise[{2 , 0 < x < -}, {1 , - < x <= 1}]
                        2        2

The correct syntax for Piecewise is a list of lists. (Note that Return 
is useless in these functions.) The following will work as expected.

In[5]:= a[c_, d_] := Module[{e, f}, e = d^2; f = c^2;
    Piecewise[{{e, 0 < x < 1/2}, {f, 1/2 < x <= 1}}]];
a[1, 2]

a[c_, d_] := Module[{e, f}, e = d^2; f = c^2;
    Piecewise[{{d^2, 0 < x < 1/2}, {c^2, 1/2 < x <= 1}}]];
a[1, 2]

Out[6]=
                        1       1
Piecewise[{{4, 0 < x < -}, {1, - < x <= 1}}]
                        2       2

Out[8]=
                        1       1
Piecewise[{{4, 0 < x < -}, {1, - < x <= 1}}]
                        2       2

Regards,
-- 
Jean-Marc


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