proposal to rename mod to polymod, was: Fixing up the mod function to produce only positive results?
Subject: proposal to rename mod to polymod, was: Fixing up the mod function to produce only positive results?
From: Richard Fateman
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 20:04:20 -0800
Robert Dodier wrote:
> Robert Dodier
>
> PS. I have to admit I'm really pretty confused about mod.
> mod (x^2, 2) => x^2 , although since 0^2 = 0 and 1^2 = 1
> it seems like x is a simpler equivalent ...
> I hope someone can clarify this.
>
mod means ...Reduce the coefficients in the polynomial modulo 2.
The modular algorithms used inside maxima are kind of
peeking out in some of these names, I think. There is
also a literature on p-adic expansions in which values of
polynomials modulo p, p^2, ... p^n are computed.
p could be a prime number, but could also itself be a
polynomial.
RJF