Re: Why is this so?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg15310] Re: Why is this so?
- From: "Allan Hayes" <hay at haystack.demon.co.uk>
- Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 04:15:04 -0500
- References: <76pq9g$e0n@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Chester Lin wrote in message <76pq9g$e0n at smc.vnet.net>...
>The following in/out does not make sense to me:
>
>Clear[f, x]
>f[x_] := x^(1/3)
>Plot[f[x], {x, -125, 125}]
>
>Plot::plnr : f[x] is not a machine-size real number at x = -125..
>Plot::plnr : f[x] is not a machine-size real number at x = -114.858.
>Plot::plnr : f[x] is not a machine-size real number at x = -103.798.
>General::stop :
> Further output of Plot::plnr will be suppressed during this
>calculation.
>
>Isn't it true that (-125)^(1/3) == -5?
>
>Why do I get this strange result?
>
>I am using Mathematica 3.01 for Students on Macintosh.
>
>Thanks for any info.
>
>Chester Lin
>chester at nicco.sscnet.ucla.edu
>
>
Chester,
>Isn't it true that (-125)^(1/3) == -5?
Yes, provided that we are restricting to real numbers, but Mathemetica
normally works with complex numbers, and with these we get
ComplexExpand[5*(-1)^(1/3)]
5/2 + (5*I*Sqrt[3])/2
(please look up complex numbers in some math text - this is the
Principal Value of 5*(-1)^(1/3)], the other values are 5/2 -
(5*I*Sqrt[3])/2 and -1)
All of these do the the job required of a cube root, for example
Expand[(5/2 + (5*I*Sqrt[3])/2)^3]
-125
and the full complex math lets us handle z^w for all complex z and w
(except z = 0)
For your immediate problem: Mathematica comes with a standard package
that helps keep things real:
(-125)^(1/3)
-5
and your plot will now come out as you expected
Clear[f, x]
f[x_] := x^(1/3)
Plot[f[x], {x, -125, 125}]
Allan
---------------------
Allan Hayes
Mathematica Training and Consulting
www.haystack.demon.co.uk
hay at haystack.demon.co.uk
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