Re: SameQ to check for simplified radical expressions... doesn't work
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg121014] Re: SameQ to check for simplified radical expressions... doesn't work
- From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akoz at mimuw.edu.pl>
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:03:59 -0400 (EDT)
- Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
- References: <201108201015.GAA04919@smc.vnet.net>
On 20 Aug 2011, at 12:15, DrMajorBob wrote: > The second is obviously simpler, hence Sqrt[360] is simpler than 6 > Sqrt[10]. > > But Mathematica doesn't see it that way, and apparently, neither do you. > > Bobby The point here is, however, that when Mathematica evaluates In[1]:= Sqrt[360] Out[1]= 6 Sqrt[10] it is not really "simplifying" the expression but putting it into a "canonical form". Simplification depends on a complexity function but canonical form do not. They are necessary, because if expressions were not put into these canonical forms, certain cancellations would not take place because under a given complexity function two equivalent expressions might never be transformed into the same expression (so that cancellation can take place). So you really need these canonical forms to be independent of any complexity function. Because expressions are put into a canonical form before Simplify is applied, sometimes you will never be able to get an answer that has the lowest complexity (for a given ComplexityFunction). In this case the lowest complexity is, if course, possessed by Sqrt[360]: In[2]:= LeafCount[Unevaluated[Sqrt[360]]] Out[2]= 2 In[3]:= LeafCount[Sqrt[360]] Out[3]= 7 Andrzej Kozlowski
- References:
- Re: SameQ to check for simplified radical expressions... doesn't work
- From: DrMajorBob <btreat1@austin.rr.com>
- Re: SameQ to check for simplified radical expressions... doesn't work