Re: newbie: how to define, typeset a multi-rule function?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg96826] Re: newbie: how to define, typeset a multi-rule function?
- From: dh <dh at metrohm.com>
- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:08:42 -0500 (EST)
- References: <go0j63$n28$1@smc.vnet.net>
Hi Tom,
for piecewise defined functiom there is "Piecewise". In your case:
Piecewise[{{1,0<=x<1}},0]
But you may achieve the same with conditional function definitions:
fun[x_]=0
fun[x_]/;0<=x<1 =1
here more specific function definitions override less specific ones.
hope this helps, Daniel
Tom Roche wrote:
> As advertised by the Subject:, I'm new to Mathematica (specifically
> 7.0.0 for Students for 32-bit Windows on XP Pro) so please excuse any
> lapses in terminology. I'd also appreciate pointers to specific docs
> rather than just an RTFM. I suspect in this case I just need to know
> what the appropriate term is for what I'm trying to create. However
> I've tried searching the docs for various permutations of multi-rule
> or multi-line function, and even googling, to no avail.
>
> I'm trying to create a notebook that typesets a particular
> mathematical function, and then solves it. The function has 2 parts or
> rules: it returns k (a constant) for one part of its domain, and 0
> otherwise. This is typically typeset with the function name and the
> equals sign on one line, then a large left curly bracket (or brace)
> centered on that line, then each rule on a separate line with all the
> rule lines to the right of the bracket. For an example in a math
> layout, I can almost typeset the function in OpenOffice Math like
>
> f_x(%chi) = left lbrace stack {k if %chi in [0,1] # 0 otherwise} right
> rbrace
>
> (except that I don't want the closing brace, but that's another
> problem). I tried to create this using the palettes, but I didn't see
> one that did multiline brackets. What do I need to use?
>
> Once I've typeset this function, I want to actually solve it. How does
> one create a function with multiple rules in Mathematica?
>
> TIA, Tom Roche <Tom_Roche at pobox.com>
>