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Re: Just another Mathematica "Gotcha"

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg120892] Re: Just another Mathematica "Gotcha"
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2011 08:15:56 -0400 (EDT)
• Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
• References: <201108131049.GAA25536@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

Perhaps that would be a good rationale for Mathematica _not_ allowing a 
number to begin with a decimal point?

As things stand right now, Mathematica is rather forgiving about this.

For fun, I tried

   .3/.3 -> a

to see that the period binds to the following 3 rather than to the /.

On 8/13/11 6:49 AM, Daniel Lichtblau wrote:
>> In primary schools one does not learn about // or /. thus the need for
>> parentheses is subtle. Using FullForm (or writing in Lisp) makes such
>> issues disappear.
>
> Of course one of those was covered in elementary school.
>
> 4.5/.3 = ?

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • Re: Just another Mathematica "Gotcha"
    • From: Daniel Lichtblau <danl@wolfram.com>