Re: Why Mathematica does not issue a warning when the calculations
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg117808] Re: Why Mathematica does not issue a warning when the calculations
- From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akoz at mimuw.edu.pl>
- Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:07:12 -0500 (EST)
On 30 Mar 2011, at 11:14, Daniel Lichtblau wrote: >> >> If someone raises a question about computer algebra systems in the >> context of Mathematica, and there seems to be a possibility that I can >> contribute to educating the poster and others reading the posting about >> that issue, then I sometimes chime in. Sometimes the questions are >> "why does Mathematica do X" and the answers from others look like >> "Because it does X" or "It has to do X" or "Everyone knows that X" >> or "you should ask Y". But my reaction might be more along the lines >> of "Mathematica was designed/programmed to do X, though it is not >> inevitable that a computer system should do this. I can understand why >> you might expect, from mathematical knowledge and intuition, that >> Mathematica should do something else, and it would be nice if it >> fulfilled your expectations, and here's how it might be changed to do >> that." >> Or something along those lines. > > Ah. Though I wonder if anyone else is still awake? This is what I have wondered myself and not just this time. Well, I guess we all live by our illusions. Andrzej Kozlowski