-----maxima-bounces at math.utexas.edu wrote: -----
>>I?think?you?have?not?given?any?evidence?that?solve?is?changing?sqrt(a*b)
>to?sqrt(a)?*?sqrt(b).?
>
>I?think?that?i?have?such?evidence.?Let's?consider?system?of?the?equations:
>
>solve([a*b=(-ma^2/2+Ea*Eb)^2,a=Ea^2-ma^2,b=Eb^2-mb^2],[Eb,a,b]);
>
>(1)?a*b=(-ma^2/2+Ea*Eb)^2
>(2)?a=Ea^2-ma^2
>(3)?b=Eb^2-mb^2
I see--the functions solve and algsys call radcan; the function radcan does
radcan(sqrt(a*b) --> sqrt(a)*sqrt(b). As far as I know, in both cases you
gave, the solutions are correct but not in the form that you would like.
That's not unusual for a computer algebra system.
--Barton