Subject: Evaluating at complex numbers and rectform
From: Raymond Toy
Date: 08 Jan 2002 11:58:24 -0500
Currently maxima won't automatically evaluate things like
sin(1.0+2.0*%i) or asin(8.0); instead, it returns them unevaluated.
To get it to evaluate them numerically, I have to do a rectform and
then a %,numer to get a numerical value.
Is this the expected way this should work? I would like it better if
this behaved the same way as sin(5.0) automatically gives a numerical
answer without more work on my part.
If so, then I think I need to change the elliptic function stuff so
that you need to use rectform to evaluate an elliptic function at some
complex point. If not, I think I know what needs to be changed to get
this to work, but it's a fair amount of work to change every function
to do this.
Ray