Inconsistency when using previously defined variables as arguments to functions

I don't know what a "Hold" statement is.

To simplify an expression that was created with simp:false, you can use
simply

      block([simp:true], expr )

This avoids all the perverse semantics of 'ev'.

If the expression has been simplified (or partially simplified) under
different conditions than the current conditions (e.g. different
assumptions, different global flags, etc.), you can do:

         block([simp:true], expand(expr,0,0) )

which forces Maxima to rescan the whole expression, including parts that are
already tagged as simplified.

            -s

On Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 18:14, thomas <thomas at geogebra.org> wrote:

>  On 01/31/2011 04:29 PM, Stavros Macrakis wrote:
>
>
>   > * ev( ... , simp ) is synonymous with ev( ... ) unless you have
>> previously
>> > set simp to false (which is a bad idea).  What did you expect it to do?
>>
>>  I disagree that simp:false is a bad idea. The effect is exactly what
>> one would expect; it disables built-in simplifications. If that's what
>> you want, then great.
>>
>
>  Certainly, simp:false has its uses.  But in this case, I very much doubt
> that the user actually needed or wanted simp:false.
>
>
> This is probably not relevant to the discussion that evolved out of this,
> but: yes, we (meaning Geogebra, a math-software that's currently trying to
> interface maxima) actually use simp: false.
> The background is that since Maxima doesn't have any kind of
> "Hold"-statement, we sometimes need to send statements to maxima without
> having them simplified, to mimic the behaviour of "hold". Everything that we
> want to send to Maxima simplified will go through ev(..., simp) instead.
> This actually works pretty well for our purposes, we've yet to encounter any
> problems with this approach. The one with the limit('(..), 'i) was the first
> one I witnessed. Is there a better way to do this?
>
> Cheers
>
> Thomas
>
> _______________________________________________
> Maxima mailing list
> Maxima at math.utexas.edu
> http://www.math.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/maxima
>
>