[Axiom-developer] Re: More AxiomUI

[Bob McElrath]

Page, Bill address@hidden wrote:
> "Suppose we try a naive approach. We could decorate each domain (those
> parts of Axiom which have an internal representation) with a function
> that would return the internal representation recursively expanded
> into a lisp s-expression. We could also give each domain a function
> that takes this s-expression and tries to simplify it. But we run into
> an issue. What would be the return type of such a simplify function?"

The integrate() function seems to work quite well, despite the fact that
I might add two disparate things.

(8) -> integrate(log(x)+x, x)
(8) -> 
                     2
        2x log(x) + x  - 2x
   (8)  -------------------
                 2
                                          Type: Union(Expression Integer,...)

Simplification rules must be domain-specific.  However the domain that
is used in most engineering-type CAS' (maple/mathematica/maxima) is
essentially "Complex Expression".  Is Union(Expression Integer,...)
equivalent?

It's been mentioned before that the "Expression" domain needs a lot of
work.  This talk of simplification probably belongs there.

However if we were very smart we would have domain-specific rules, and a
generic format (such as the s-expression example you mention above), and
*one* set of simplify/factor/expand functions.  The result would be as
it is from integrate(), Union(something) or Expression(something).  The
type should be derivable...

--
Cheers,
Bob McElrath [Univ. of California at Davis, Department of Physics]

    "One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen
    these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding
    fathers used in the great struggle for independence." --Charles A. Beard

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