Edit detail for #356 domain for general constants revision 1 of 1

changed:
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On 24 May 2007 20:09:32 +0200 Martin Rubey replied to:
Sumant S.R. Oemrawsingh who wrote::

 I just find this very strange:

 (1) -> %e
 
    (1)  %e
                                                      Type: Expression Integer
 (2) -> %pi
 
    (2)  %pi
                                                                      Type: Pi
 
 Why is %e of type Expression Integer, while %pi is of type Pi? Is there some
 deeper reason why Pi is its own type?

For some reasons, the original developers of axiom found %pi more important
than %e.  For elements of Expression Integer there is no direct conversion to
Float, so they created an own domain HackPi, which contains only %pi and the
necessary conversion functions.  The didn't want to do the same thing with %e
though::

 (2) -> %e::Float
  
   Cannot convert from type Expression Integer to Float for value
   %e


In my opinion, we should have a domain for "general" constants, i.e., like
Expression Integer but without variables, and, more generally, a domain for
expressions with a given set of variables, similar to MPOLY.  But I guess,
that's a fair bit of work.

 I just find this very strange:

 (1) -> %e

    (1)  %e
                                                      Type: Expression Integer
 (2) -> %pi

    (2)  %pi
                                                                      Type: Pi

 Why is %e of type Expression Integer, while %pi is of type Pi? Is there some
 deeper reason why Pi is its own type?

 (2) -> %e::Float

   Cannot convert from type Expression Integer to Float for value
   %e