Mathematica DeMYSTiFied

CHAPTER 4Odds and Ends

Unlike the other chapters in this book, which are all focused on a single topic, this chapter will introduce a mix of functions that are useful in all sorts of situations.

4.1 Transforming Expressions

Quite often it is useful to put a mathematical expression into a different form. Perhaps looking at the expression in a different way will lend some critical insight. Mathematica has several functions that can help us do this. In Example 4.1.1, we use the Expand function to multiply out a product and name the result poly.

Example 4.1.1

In[15]:=( * expanding a polynomial* )          poly Expand [(1+x)³ (x-2y)]Out[15]= x+3x²+3x³+x⁴-2y-6xy-6x²y-2x³y

 

We can perform the opposite of Expand by using the Factor function. In Example ...