Creating a function with n-arguments?

[ptc-4395626]

Hi,

I am working with Mathcad and want to create a function to calculate the parallel resistance of n resistors. Therefore I would need a function that would accept n arguments.

Currently I have separate functions defined for 2 elements, 3 elements, and 4 elements:

Is there any way to define a function that would evaluate this expression for n elements?

Thanks

[VladimirN]

Hello!

Please attach your Mathcad worksheet.

[ptc-4395626]

I'd rather not upload the entire worksheet, so I've posted an image of the relevant formulas.

[ptc-4395626]

Functions for 2, 3, and 4 elements:

[VladimirN]

Maybe so:

Another variant:

[RichardJ · Accepted solution]

Sorry, but it is not possible to create user defined functions that take a variable number of arguments (even though there are built-in functions that take a variable number of arguments). It's one of a long list of long-standing requests. The best (perhaps even only!) thing you can do is what Vladmir shows. That can be simplified a little too:

[ValeryOchkov]

May be so:

[RichardJ]

Yes, including ORIGIN is a very good idea! Necessary, in fact, because I always use ORIGIN=0, and my version of the function would in fact not work correctly in any of my own worksheets

[ptc-4395626]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies! I think Vladimir's method will allow me to clean things up and make my calculations easier to visualize.

[VladimirN]

You're welcome.

[ValeryOchkov]

Richard Jackson wrote:

Yes, including ORIGIN is a very good idea! Necessary, in fact, because I always use ORIGIN=0, and my version of the function would in fact not work correctly in any of my own worksheets

I know that in Europe and in Russia we have in vectors 1-st, 2-d etc elements (ORIGIN=1)

But I heard that in USA - 0-?, 1-st, 2-d etc elements (ORIGIN=0).

Is it true?

[RichardJ]

Most people here would not call the first element the 0-th, they would call it the 1-st, just as in Europe or Russia.

[ValeryOchkov]

Richard Jackson wrote:

Most people here would not call the first element the 0-th, they would call it the 1-st, just as in Europe or Russia.

Thanks!

And why is the default that ORIGIN=0

[VladimirN]

Valery Ochkov wrote:

And why is the default that ORIGIN=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_(mathematics)

[ValeryOchkov]

VladimirN. wrote:

Valery Ochkov wrote:

And why is the default that ORIGIN=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_(mathematics)

Sorry, it is not answer.

[RichardJ]

And why is the default that ORIGIN=0

We have discussed this before, but I can't find the thread (I can almost never find the thread I want in these forums!). Here's the best answer I have seen though: http://developeronline.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-array-index-should-start-from-0.html

[VladimirN]

And also this:

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD08xx/EWD831.html

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/ewd08xx/EWD831.PDF

[ValeryOchkov]

We can have in some built-in function of Mathcad 15 (find, min, max, stack etc) n-arguments.

One example max(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...) = ...

The max n is 50 (n = 1-50)

Do you know how much max arguments can we have in same functions in Mathcad Prime? I know more than 50 or 256.

Do you have a full list of this functions with var n of arguments?