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Re: Bug? in PolyLog

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg21107] Re: Bug? in PolyLog
  • From: Harald Giese <giese at dkrz.de>
  • Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 01:21:07 -0500 (EST)
  • Organization: Institut fuer Meereskunde, Universitaet Hamburg
  • References: <831fc6$d9b@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Francois Grieu wrote:
> 
> While trying to fix my Dickman function, I uncovered what appears
> to be a bug with the numerical implementation of PolyLog.
> It gives an imaginary part for PolyLog[2,x] for x>1
> when PolyLog[2,x] is purely real in this domain.
> 
> Here is a session:
> 
> Mathematica 4.0 Kernel for Power Macintosh
> Copyright 1988-1999 Wolfram Research, Inc.
>  -- Terminal graphics initialized --
> 
> In[1]:= PolyLog[2, 2.0]
> 
> Out[1]= 2.4674 - 2.17759 I
> 
> In[2]:= Simplify[Im[PolyLog[2, 2]]]
> 
> Out[2]= 0
> 
> Any clues ? I am interested by what happens for other releases
> of Mathematica.
> 

Francois,

In[2]:= PolyLog[2, 2]

Out[2]= PolyLog[2, 2]

therefore Mathematica has nothing to simplify.

Regards,
Harald




-- 
--- This message was entirely written using recycled electrons ---

Harald Giese
Email: giese at dkrz.de
Phone: +49 (0)40 42838 5796; Fax: +49 (0)40 5605724
Institut fuer Meereskunde der Universitaet Hamburg
(Institute of Oceanography of the University of Hamburg)
Troplowitzstrasse 7, D-22529 Hamburg


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