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Re: Subscript[x,1] value do not get cleared using Clear["Global`*"] but get removed using Remove["Global`*]

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg104059] Re: Subscript[x,1] value do not get cleared using Clear["Global`*"] but get removed using Remove["Global`*]
• From: Colin Rose <colin at tri.org.au>
• Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:03:42 -0400 (EDT)
• References: <hb9jt6$ke$1@smc.vnet.net>

 "Nasser M. Abbasi" <nma at 12000.org> wrote:

> Before, I used to use Clear["Global`*] to clear all variable, until I just 
> found subscripted variable do not get cleared
> 
> In[31]:= Remove["Global`*"]
> 
> In[33]:= Subscript[a, 1] = 5
> 
> In[34]:= Subscript[a, 1]
> Out[34]= 5
> 
> In[35]:= Clear["Global`*"]    --> now clear it
> 
> In[36]:= Subscript[a, 1]
> Out[36]= 5      ----> did not clear



In related vein, I find the following long-standing behaviour to be 
irksome and illogical:


In[1]:= Subscript[x, 1] = 3

In[2]:= Clear[Subscript[x, 1]]

Clear::ssym: Subscript[x, 1] is not a symbol or a string. >>

To clear the subscript, you have to use Unset, which produces beeps if 
the Subscript[x,1] has not been assigned a value. All so messy. 

Why not just make Clear do what it is meant to do, or at least, make it 
do what people reasonably expect it will do?

Cheers

Colin

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