maxima programming questions



Greetings!

This is what I was referring to, but apparently its not a bug:

tellrat(gb*g-1);

Minimal polynomial must be monic
 -- an error. To debug this try: debugmode(true);
(%i8) 

Here's the powers stuff:

load(powers);
(%o1)         /usr/share/maxima/5.21.1/share/contrib/powers.lisp
(%i2) powers(g^2,g);
(%o2)                                 [2]
(%i3) declare(g,constant);
(%o3)                                done
(%i4) powers(g^2,g);

The second argument of "$powers" must be a symbol, instead found g
 -- an error. To debug this try: debugmode(true);
(%i5) 

Also, using very long strings ssubst falls over:


(%i178) ss
;
(%o178) $$\left[ \left[ e , b , b^2 , a , a\,b , a\,b^2 , a^2 , a^2\,b , a^2
 \,b^2 \right]  , \left[ b , b^2 , e , \lambda^2\,a\,b , \lambda^2\,a
 \,b^2 , \lambda^2\,a , \lambda\,a^2\,b , \lambda\,a^2\,b^2 , \lambda
 \,a^2 \right]  , \left[ b^2 , e , b , \lambda\,a\,b^2 , \lambda\,a
  , \lambda\,a\,b , \lambda^2\,a^2\,b^2 , \lambda^2\,a^2 , \lambda^2
 \,a^2\,b \right]  , \left[ a , \lambda\,a\,b , \lambda^2\,a\,b^2 , a
 ^2 , \lambda\,a^2\,b , \lambda^2\,a^2\,b^2 , e , \lambda\,b , 
 \lambda^2\,b^2 \right]  , \left[ a\,b , \lambda\,a\,b^2 , \lambda^2
 \,a , \lambda^2\,a^2\,b , a^2\,b^2 , \lambda\,a^2 , \lambda\,b , 
 \lambda^2\,b^2 , e \right]  , \left[ a\,b^2 , \lambda\,a , \lambda^2
 \,a\,b , \lambda\,a^2\,b^2 , \lambda^2\,a^2 , a^2\,b , \lambda^2\,b^
 2 , e , \lambda\,b \right]  , \left[ a^2 , \lambda^2\,a^2\,b , 
 \lambda\,a^2\,b^2 , e , \lambda^2\,b , \lambda\,b^2 , a , \lambda^2
 \,a\,b , \lambda\,a\,b^2 \right]  , \left[ a^2\,b , \lambda^2\,a^2\,
 b^2 , \lambda\,a^2 , \lambda^2\,b , \lambda\,b^2 , e , \lambda\,a\,b
  , a\,b^2 , \lambda^2\,a \right]  , \left[ a^2\,b^2 , \lambda^2\,a^2
  , \lambda\,a^2\,b , \lambda\,b^2 , e , \lambda^2\,b , \lambda^2\,a
 \,b^2 , \lambda\,a , a\,b \right]  \right] $$
(%i179) ssubst("\\left[","",ss);

ssubst: improper arguments.
 -- an error.  Entering the Maxima debugger.
Enter ':h' for help.
(dbm:1) :q

Have some tex/latex suggestions if anyone at all is interested.  The
existing code won't compile under amslatex, considered the modern
standard. 

Thanks again,

Robert Dodier <robert.dodier at gmail.com> writes:

> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 9:36 AM, Camm Maguire <camm at maguirefamily.org> wrote:
>
>> Now say I want to simplify all monomials in l,lb to result in 1, -1,
>> l^m or lb^m, n>m>0.  In other words, l^(n+m) -> lb^(n-m).  tellrat()
>> does not take an expression in two variables anymore unlike what is
>> said in the docs (bug?).  I've written a hack of a function using log
>> to basically accomplish this, but I think there should be a better
>> way.
>
> I tried the examples shown in the reference manual and they
> work as described. Can you please post a session log?
> This seems like an interesting problem so I 'd like to make it work.
>
>> powers(1/lb,'lb);
>>
>> The second argument of "$powers" must be a symbol, instead found lb
>
> I don';t see that error (instead I get an error that the first argument
> must be a polynomial). What did you enter? and what led up to it?
>
> Sorry I can't be more helpful,
>
> Robert Dodier
>
>
>
>

-- 
Camm Maguire			     		    camm at maguirefamily.org
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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."  --  Baha'u'llah