Hi Leo, On Tuesday, 5 Dec 2023 at 20:18, Leo Butler wrote: > I think it should be easy to provide this for a few data types (matrix, > string, maybe list), but I think the conversion from a Lisp sexp to an > ELisp sexp will need a lot of assumptions. E.g. how to convert the > Maxima list: > > [[a,b],[c,d,[e,f]]] > > Or maybe such cases are not important?
Good question. I am not sure what the best approach would be. My own use case often does involve results which are vectors of vectors of values or expressions (solutions to system of equations). I typically simply output directly using either print or grind, as in #+begin_src maxima :results output for i: 1 thru length(solution[1]) do grind(solution[1][i])$ #+end_src where "solution" is the result of the computation in my (elided) example and I only care about the first solution. I haven't really thought about how the final "value" should be output. I'm happy to explore alternatives. > Also, what would we do with an arbitrary mathematical expression? Return > a printed representation? This might actually be the easiest, of course. > Developing a working session for maxima would make it more feasible to > use it directly in text, as you are using Calc. It would indeed be more feasible but not necessarily a benefit (to me), as such. I use Calc for pedagogical aspects, showing step by step calculations, and it has some benefits over Maxima for this, especially for engineering topics because it "understands" units (e.g. kg, J, m^2). Further, I have total control of the formatting by having defined my own embedded Calc format, lines that start with #+calc: which I can interpret during the export process in org. I use maxima to solve more detailed problems so that students can see the outcome of the algebra to compare with their own work. And there's the psychological/philosophical benefit of doing everything I can in Emacs itself! :-) But, having said that, consistency in the tools used is beneficial so doing step by step calculations with maxima instead of Calc could be a good thing for the students. It would be nice to have that option. Thank you, eric -- : Eric S Fraga, with org release_9.6.7-661-g34ee6f in Emacs 30.0.50
