Re: ReplaceAll (/.)
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg69208] Re: ReplaceAll (/.)
- From: Jean-Marc Gulliet <jeanmarc.gulliet at gmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 18:41:12 -0400 (EDT)
- Organization: The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
- References: <ed9491$tu$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Bruce Colletti wrote:
> Re Mathematica 5.2.0.0.
>
> Why doesn't:
>
> (a b) /. x_Times -> List @@ x
>
> return {a,b}?
Trace[a*b /. x_Times -> List @@ x]
{{{List @@ x, x}, x_Times -> x, x_Times -> x}, a*b /. x_Times -> x, a*b}
> My (flawed) reasoning is that a b has form Times[a,b], and so x matches to Times[a,b]. List@@x replaces Times with List to yield List[a,b], or {a,b}...or so it would seem.
>
> The explanation is somehow linked to the fact that:
>
> (a b) /. x_Times :> List @@ x
>
> returns {a,b}, but I don't see why this works but not the above.
Trace[a*b /. x_Times :> List @@ x]
{{x_Times :> List @@ x, x_Times :> List @@ x}, a*b /. x_Times :> List @@
x, List @@ (a*b), {a, b}}
See Section "2.5.8 Immediate and Delayed Definitions" of The Mathematica
Book at http://documents.wolfram.com/mathematica/book/section-2.5.8
Regards,
Jean-Marc