subscripts in CAS?

[Han]

(12-12-2016 06:40 PM)Wes Loewer Wrote:  In Maxima, you can use subscripts, such as

Code:

sum(a[k]*x^k, k, 0, 5);

which results in

Code:

a[5]*x^5+a[4]*x^4+a[3]*x^3+a[2]*x^2+a[1]*x+a[0]

or more general

Code:

sum(a[k]*x^k, k, 0, n);

where n is a function parameter and a[n] are unspecified constants.

Is there a way to use subscripts in a similar manner on the Prime?

The exact command on the prime returns a similar looking polynomial except the notation at(a,k-1) is used in place of a[k] for display. This allows you to later store a vector/list into the variable a and the polynomial will be modified accordingly (on the display). You can, instead, use a(k) which will then be displayed as a(k) on the screen. In this case, a is implicitly considered a function.

sum(a(k)*x^k, k, 0, n);