When to simplify complete elliptic integrals?



Hello Ray,

I would prefer that the function can simplify itself accordingly. It seems to me
more useful to put as much knowledge about a function into the simplier as
possible.

A call to an extra function which can do a simplification only for some special
values seems to me not very efficient.

Dieter Kaiser

-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
Von: maxima-bounces at math.utexas.edu [mailto:maxima-bounces at math.utexas.edu] Im
Auftrag von Raymond Toy
Gesendet: Freitag, 27. Februar 2009 20:25
An: Maxima List
Betreff: [Maxima] When to simplify complete elliptic integrals?

Just noticed that the documentation for elliptic_kc and elliptic_ec says
to use makegamma to convert these functions to gamma functions when
possible.  Thus elliptic_ec(1/2) remains elliptic_ec(1/2).  But call
makegamma and we get an expression involving gamma(1/4).

Is that how the simplification of elliptic_ec should be done?  Should
elliptic_ec(1/2) returned the gamma expression itself?

Ray