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bdjinsd1-Visitor
1-Visitor
May 10, 2018
Solved

How to simplify exponents of exponents

  • May 10, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 1605 views

When doing symbolic math, sometimes the result has exponents of exponents, for instance

 

(x^2)^(3/2)

 

A simpler form for this expression would be x^3, but even using "simplify,max" does not change the form of the  result. "combine" and "expand" don't help either.

 

Is there any way to get Matchcad to simplify this expression?

 

Best answer by Werner_E

(x^2)^(3/2) = x^3 is true for x>=0 only, not for x<0.

And if x is non-real, the square root ()^.../2 has two results, not just one like x^3.

Mathcad takes that into account and will only simplify to x^3 if you tell it with the "assume" that x is positive (that implicitly also tells MC that x is real of course).

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1 reply

W
Werner_E25-Diamond IAnswer
25-Diamond I
May 10, 2018

(x^2)^(3/2) = x^3 is true for x>=0 only, not for x<0.

And if x is non-real, the square root ()^.../2 has two results, not just one like x^3.

Mathcad takes that into account and will only simplify to x^3 if you tell it with the "assume" that x is positive (that implicitly also tells MC that x is real of course).

b.png

    B
    bdjinsd1-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    May 11, 2018

    Ah, that helps. Thanks!

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