CAS not always working with trigonometric formulas ?
Subject: CAS not always working with trigonometric formulas ?
From: thomas x
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 22:50:37 +0200
Thanks for your answer. That's my first day using maxima and I find
this program pretty good, but I think Maxima could do better to find
the simplest possible answer. For instance, it is not able to simplify
(sqrt(2)+sqrt(6-4*sqrt(2)))/2 into 1. I've just tested the expression
above and tan(%pi/8) with Mupad, and it does give simplified answers.
Anyway, Mupad is not free anymore ; linux users have now to pay for a
license, as well as the Windows one. I'll keep using Mathematica.
Best regards
On 10/22/05, Richard Fateman wrote:
> thomas x wrote:
>
> > Hello all
> > I have a simple question : "cos(%pi/4)" gives me "SQRT(2)/2" but
> > tan(%pi/8) gives me "TAN(%PI/8)" instead of "SQRT(2)-1", why ?
> > Best regards
> > Thomas
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Maxima mailing list
> > Maxima@math.utexas.edu
> > http://www.math.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/maxima
>
> Short answer: it's not programmed to do that.
>
> Longer answer: Do you always want to do that? Sometimes
> the radical expression is much longer. e.g.
>
> tan(%pi/16) or SQRT(2-SQRT(2))*(SQRT(2)+2)*(2-SQRT(SQRT(2)+2))/2
>
> There is a flag %piargs which should control the conversion,
> but apparently does not.
>
> Commercial macsyma does better here.
>
> RJF
>
>