Re: Confused about describe



>>>>> "Albert" == Albert Reiner <areiner@tph.tuwien.ac.at> writes:

    Albert> So now that I know about exponentialize, I wanted to read its
    Albert> documentation.  This resulted in major confusion about what describe
    Albert> actually does:

    Albert> ,----
    Albert> | (C1) describe(exponentialize);
    Albert> | 
    Albert> | 
    Albert> | 
    Albert> | Info from file /usr/share/info/maxima.info:
    Albert> |  - Variable: FALSE
    Albert> |      - the Boolean constant, false. (NIL in LISP)
    Albert> | 
    Albert> | (D1) 				     FALSE
    Albert> `----

What version of maxima?  What lisp?

FWIW, I get

(%i4) describe(exponentialize);


Info from file /apps/public/src/toy/maxima/doc/info/maxima.info:
 - Variable: EXPONENTIALIZE
     default: [FALSE] if TRUE will cause all circular and hyperbolic
     functions to be converted to exponential form.  (Setting
     DEMOIVRE:TRUE; will reverse the effect.)  EXPONENTIALIZE(exp) will
     cause the conversion to exponential form of an expression without
     setting the switch or having to re-evaluate the expression with EV.

I don't have to use strings.

Also, a nice short cut that I use all the time is to use "?":

(%i5) ? exponentialize

(This doesn't work if you use a string.)

Ray