I think I figured it out, you have to have a function defined and it also has to be compiled.
this works
(%i1) factor(-hbar^2/(2*m)*diff(f(x),x,2)=E*f(x)-mu*x^4*f(x));
(%o1) -(hbar^2*('diff(f(x),x,2)))/(2*m)=f(x)*(E-mu*x^4)
if f is defined as a function of two or more variables and it is not compiled then you get this error.
(%i1) f(x,y):=x^2*y;
(%o1) f(x,y):=x^2*y
(%i2) factor(-hbar^2/(2*m)*diff(f(x),x,2)=E*f(x)-mu*x^4*f(x));
Too few arguments supplied to f(x,y):[x] -- an error.
To debug this try debugmode(true);
which is a better error message.
but if you compile f then you get
(%i1) f(x,y):=x^2*y;
(%o1) f(x,y):=x^2*y
(%i2) compile(f);
Compiling C:/DOCUME~1/RICHAR~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/gazonk_3888_0.lsp.
End of Pass 1.
End of Pass 2.
OPTIMIZE levels: Safety=2, Space=3, Speed=3
Finished compiling C:/DOCUME~1/RICHAR~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/gazonk_3888_0.lsp.
(%o2) [f]
(%i3) factor(-hbar^2/(2*m)*diff(f(x),x,2)=E*f(x)-mu*x^4*f(x));
Maxima encountered a Lisp error: Error in MACSYMA-TOP-LEVEL [or a callee]: MACSYMA-TOP-LEVEL [or a callee] requires more than one argument.
Automatically continuing.
To reenable the Lisp debugger set *debugger-hook* to nil.
Which is a harder message to debug. I think I may have had a definition for f after all and it was compiled too since I have a workbook which does just that and I was playing around with that workbook last night before I got this error. So it only happens on compiled functions so far in my testing.
Rich
------------Original Message------------
From: Barton Willis <willisb at unk.edu>
To: "Richard Hennessy" <rvh2007 at comcast.net>
Cc: "Maxima List" <maxima at math.utexas.edu>
Date: Sat, Aug-30-2008 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Maxima] Factor bug
-----maxima-bounces at math.utexas.edu wrote: -----
>(%i20) factor(-hbar^2/(2*m)*diff(f(x),x,2)=E*f(x)-mu*x^4*f(x));
>Maxima encountered a Lisp error:
>Error in MACSYMA-TOP-LEVEL [or a callee]: MACSYMA-TOP-LEVEL [or a callee]
With a fresh Maxima 5.15.0 + GCL , it works:
(%i1) factor(-hbar^2/(2*m)*diff(f(x),x,2)=E*f(x)-mu*x^4*f(x));
(%o1) -(hbar^2*('diff(f(x),x,2)))/(2*m)=f(x)*(E-mu*x^4)
If you would, restart Maxima and try factor(-hbar^2/(2*m)*diff(f
(x),x,2)=E*f(x)-mu*x^4*f(x)).
Tell us what happens. Thanks for the report.
Barton