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Re: (x - 1) or (-1 + x)

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg121555] Re: (x - 1) or (-1 + x)
• From: Thomas Dowling <thomasgdowling at gmail.com>
• Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:07:16 -0400 (EDT)
• Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
• References: <201109180811.EAA06337@smc.vnet.net>

One method, due  to  Jean-Marc Gulliet (see link 1 below),
uses the undocumented Polynomial Form

4 (1 - q) // PolynomialForm[#, TraditionalOrder -> True] &



The reply of Jens-Peer Kuska given in the second link below may also be of
interest.





http : // forums.wolfram.com/mathgroup/archive/2008/Oct/msg00016.html


http://forums.wolfram.com/mathgroup/archive/2008/Oct/msg00019.html





On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 9:11 AM, Ralph Dratman <ralph.dratman at gmail.com>wrote:

>
> 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
>

• References:
  • (x - 1) or (-1 + x)
    • From: Ralph Dratman <ralph.dratman@gmail.com>