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Excel Math Bug
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Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming,sci.math
David Kastrup
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Excel Math Bug
(Daniel Grubb) writes:
By the definition of unary minus, -x^2 is the number such that
x^2 + (-x^2) = 0.
Without a citation to "the definition" you're using, this is not
persuasive.
Your statement begs the question of operator precedence, and using it to
argue for a particular order of precedence is therefore a tautology.
Pick *any* algebra text, calculus text, etc. The expression -x^2 means
the negative of x^2 throughout mathematics. If you want the negation
to have priority, you write (-x)^2. For example, if you see the expression
-x^2 +3x-2 in any math book, it means (-1)*x^2 +3*x -2 and is certainly
not the same as x^2 +3x-2 (unless you are in a field of characteristic 2).
This is absolutely standard notation.
Uh, no. -x² + 3x - 2 would be standard notation. Little ^ characters
have no standard notational meaning.
But the same argument would hold here as well.
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David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum
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