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The Scan Built-In Function

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg46313] The Scan Built-In Function
• From: Harold.Noffke at wpafb.af.mil (Harold Noffke)
• Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 21:58:10 -0500 (EST)
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Mathematica 5.0.1 on Windows 2000
MathGroup:

When I studied Scan, I found the following example reasonable ...

In[4]:= Scan[ Print, a x^2 + b x, Infinity ]
	b
	x
	b x
	a
	x
	2
	 2
	x
	   2
	a x

Then I modified the example to this ...

In[5]:= Scan[ Print, a (x + 2) b*y, Infinity ]
	a
	b
	2
	x
	2 + x
	y
	
Then I got confused.

Here's my question.  In In[4], why does Mathematica not show any
expressions which use "+"?  In abstract group theory, there is no
distinction between "+" and "*", and this is what confuses me when I
think about Scan from the group theory perspective.

Can anyone guide my thinking back onto the Mathematica track?

Thanks.
Harold

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: The Scan Built-In Function
    • From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akoz@mimuw.edu.pl>