Subject: Why cannot Maxima calculate some simple sums
From: Leo Butler
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 00:33:08 +0100 (BST)
On Fri, 4 Jun 2010, Edward A Romana wrote:
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< At 05:13 AM 12/23/2009, ????????? wrote:
< >I find Maxima interesting and useful ,but it seems that its infinite sum function is broken.
< >When I type sum(1/k^2,k,1,inf),simpsum and enter ,it gives the correct answer %pi^2/6
< >But when? I type sum(1/k!,k,1,inf),simpsum and enter,it does nothing ,just to return the expression,which is ridiculous since that series simply converges to %e
< >And it cannot calculate even 1/(k(k+1))
< >Is this a bug ,an unimplemented feature or I missed something necessary to calculate infinite series?
(%i2) load("simplify_sum")$
(%i3) sum(1/k!,k,0,inf);
(%o3) 'sum(1/k!,k,0,inf)
(%i4) simplify_sum(%);
(%o4) %e
(%i5) sum(1/k/(k+1),k,1,inf);
(%o5) 'sum(1/(k*(k+1)),k,1,inf)
(%i6) simplify_sum(%);
(%o6) 1
Leo
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