Re: Solve never calls Equal?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg120296] Re: Solve never calls Equal?
- From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akoz at mimuw.edu.pl>
- Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:03:32 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <201107150118.VAA23606@smc.vnet.net> <ivovvt$qpa$1@smc.vnet.net> <201107160941.FAA08237@smc.vnet.net>
On 16 Jul 2011, at 11:41, Richard Fateman wrote: > (in a different thread, where replacing Equal by SameQ was proposed) > > > On 7/15/2011 2:07 AM, Andrzej Kozlowski wrote: >> Well, here is one example of what would happen: >> >> In[3]:= Unprotect[Equal] >> >> Out[3]= {Equal} >> >> In[5]:= Equal[a_, b__] := SameQ[a, b] >> >> In[6]:= Protect[Equal] >> >> Out[6]= {Equal} >> >> In[7]:= Solve[3 x == 1, x] >> >> Out[7]= {} >> >> Doesn't look like a great idea to me. >> >> Andrzej Kozlowski >> > > That's because 3*x==1 is immediately changed to False, and > Solve[False, x] is indeed not a great idea. > > > > Equal[a_?NumberQ, b_?NumberQ] := SameQ[a, b]; > > works better. That Solve example works just fine. > > Indeed, if one does this.. > > Equal[a_?NumberQ, b_?NumberQ] := (Print[test[a, b]]; SameQ[a, b]); > > one can detect when, if ever, the Solve program calls Equal on two > numbers. It will print test[...] on such occasions. > > When does Solve call Equal on 2 numbers? I poked around a little and > found -- never. I tried Integrate, Factor, Do, Product, Plot.. = --never. > > > note that f[x_] := If [x == 0, 1, f[x - 1]*x]; f[5] computes 5! = and > calls Equal 6 times... but Factorial[5] does not. > > > Perhaps the internal support routines do not call Equal? > or calls to it are compiled away and not in reach of redefinition by = the > user? Or do they call SameQ? (no, they don't. I tried it). > > Cheers > > > RJF > > This may indeed "work", though one would have to check functions such as NSolve, NSum, Reduce, etc, which I haven't tried (and don't want to). But it certainly will produce effects like this: In[1]:= Unprotect[Equal]; In[2]:= Equal[a_?NumberQ, b_?NumberQ] := SameQ[a, b] In[3]:= Protect[Equal]; In[4]:= eqn = 2 x + 1 == 0; In[5]:= Solve[eqn, x][[1]] // N Out[5]= {x->-0.5} In[6]:= eqn /. % Out[6]= False I am not at all convinced that the "naive user" will find this behaviour much of an improvement, in fact, quite the opposite. Andrzej Kozlowski
- References:
- Re: Numerical accuracy/precision - this is a bug or a feature?
- From: "Christoph Lhotka" <christoph.lhotka@univie.ac.at>
- Solve never calls Equal?
- From: Richard Fateman <fateman@cs.berkeley.edu>
- Re: Numerical accuracy/precision - this is a bug or a feature?