Raymond Toy <toy@rtp.ericsson.se> writes:
> Currently, maxima says
>
> (C21) solve(x^4+1=0,x);
>
> 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4
> (D21) [x = (- 1) %I, x = - (- 1) , x = - (- 1) %I, x = (- 1) ]
>
> which is right, but I expected the answer to be powers of
> (1+%i)/sqrt(2). I could add the rule
>
> tellsimp((-1)^(1/4), (1+%i)/sqrt(2))
>
> to get what I want.
>
> A bug?
>
> Ray
I wouldn't think so. (1+i)/sqrt(2) is only the principal value of
(-1)^(1/4), not *the* value. The principal value of complex functions
isn't always called for.
Jay