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Re: how implement a rule

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg112585] Re: how implement a rule
  • From: "Carl K. Woll" <carlw at wolfram.com>
  • Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:04:52 -0400 (EDT)

On 9/20/2010 4:43 AM, Murray Eisenberg wrote:
> I want to define a function abs (mimicking Abs) with various properties.
> One part of the definition is:
>
>     abs[c_ z_ /; c \[Element] Reals] = Abs[c] abs[z]
>
> Given that, how might I express that abs[z] is always real in such a way
> that the result of
>
>     abs[1/abs[z]^2]
>
> will be 1/abs[z]^2 -- WITHOUT explicitly introducing, say:
>
>     abs/: abs[1/abs[z_]^2] =  1/abs[z]^2
>
> ?
>
>    

One can use Refine to help here:

nonnegQ[expr_] := Module[{foo = Cases[expr, _abs, Infinity]},
   Refine[expr >= 0, Thread[foo > 0]]
   ]

abs[c_?nonnegQ ] := c
abs[c_?nonnegQ z_] := c abs[z]

In[83]:= abs[1/abs[z]^2]

Out[83]= 1/abs[z]^2

Carl Woll
Wolfram Research


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