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Mathematica Simplification and Types

The document discusses the use of Mathematica for algebraic simplifications and floating-point approximations using the Simplify and N functions. It explains how Mathematica distinguishes between exact values and floating-point computations based on the presence of decimals in expressions. Additionally, it introduces the concept of types and heads in Mathematica, which allow for efficient memory allocation and operator overloading.

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6 views1 page

Mathematica Simplification and Types

The document discusses the use of Mathematica for algebraic simplifications and floating-point approximations using the Simplify and N functions. It explains how Mathematica distinguishes between exact values and floating-point computations based on the presence of decimals in expressions. Additionally, it introduces the concept of types and heads in Mathematica, which allow for efficient memory allocation and operator overloading.

Uploaded by

designer.mar.44
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Chapter00.

nb 11
Note that the multiplication symbol following the 2 is optional. Also, Mathematica performs some
algebraic simplifications automatically. If you desire additional simplification, you can use the Sim-
plify function.
In[15]:= Simplify@%D
8 p2
Out[15]= 17 -
9
If you prefer a floating-point approximation of the result, you can use the N function. This function
takes one required argument, an expression, and evaluates it with floating-point arithmetic.
In[16]:= N@%D
Out[16]= 8.22702
Note that N can accept an optional second argument, a positive integer specifying the number of digits
of precision.
In[17]:= N@Pi, 10D
Out[17]= 3.141592654
Mathematica works with exact values such as integers and the symbol Pi differently from floating-
point values. By including any decimal in an expression, Mathematica will treat the entire expression
as a floating-point computation. Compare the following two expressions.
In[18]:= 2ê3 + 3ê2
13
Out[18]=
6
In[19]:= 2 ê 3 + 3.0 ê 2
Out[19]= 2.16667
The presence of 3.0 caused Mathematica to evaluate with floating-point computations rather than
rational arithmetic. Note that the trailing 0 is not necessary: entering 3. is sufficient to tell Mathematica
that you want the number evaluated using floating-point arithmetic.
In[20]:= 3. ê 5
Out[20]= 0.6
This discussion illustrates the concept of a type. A computer can be much more efficient if it knows
what kinds of things it will be working with. If the computer knows that one object is going to be a
floating-point number while another is going to be a string, it will allocate memory differently for the
two objects, for instance.
Types also allow programming languages to make use of operator overloading. This means that the
symbol + means one thing when applied to two integers, something else when applied to floating-point
numbers, and something completely different when applied to matrices. The concept of type is what
makes it possible for Mathematica to figure out which version of + is called for at the time.
In Mathematica, types are implemented using heads. In Mathematica, every expression is of the form
h[…], just like a function, at least in the internal representation. The symbol h is called the head of the
expression. You can use the function Head to determine the head of any expression.

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