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(x - 1) or (-1 + x)

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg121516] (x - 1) or (-1 + x)
• From: Ralph Dratman <ralph.dratman at gmail.com>
• Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2011 04:11:17 -0400 (EDT)
• Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com

I feel like a small child asking this, but how can I get Mathematica to say
(x - 1) instead of  (-1 + x), or to give me

 4 (1 - q)

 instead of the doubly annoying

-4 (-1 + q)  ?

In brief, given the choice, I prefer to look at subtraction rather than
negation. The binary operator instead of the unary.

I'm not asking Mathematica to read my mind about the way I want every
possible expression to look, rather I am hoping to find out how to transform
something I don't like into something I like, in a way that is guaranteed
not to change the value of the expression.

Ralph Dratman

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: (x - 1) or (-1 + x)
    • From: DrMajorBob <btreat1@austin.rr.com>
  • Re: (x - 1) or (-1 + x)
    • From: Thomas Dowling <thomasgdowling@gmail.com>