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NumberMultiplier usage

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg121857] NumberMultiplier usage
• From: "tenons at gmail.com" <tenons at gmail.com>
• Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 04:00:45 -0400 (EDT)
• Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com

Can anyone shed any light on why

Times[3, 2^z]  appears as 3 x 2^z

but

Times[-3,2^x]  appears as -3 2^z   ?

For presentation purposes (for freshmen!), I would like the
NumberMultiplier to show up in the second case as well.

I realize I can do something like:

Unprotect[Times];
Format[Times[x_?(NumericQ[#] && Negative[#] &), z_] := x\[Cross]z]:
Protect[Times]

but this seems clumsy, a little dangerous, doesn't affect input lines
and produces the result with parentheses which I don't care for:

(-3)x2^z

Does anybody else care about such things?


Michael Williams

[ I have NumberMultiplier set to \[Cross] in all the various *Forms
and the $FrontEnd and AutoMultiplicationSymbol -> True ]