All Questions

660 views

Asynchronous evaluation: Is it possible?

Currently we have a limited number of ways to perform asynchronous evaluation. The most common is through Dynamic and ...
400 views

How can I ensure that I am constructing patterns in the most efficient way possible?

Inspired by this answer, I am interested to know if there are best practices or rules of thumb for constructing patterns, for example for use in function definitions (...
633 views

How to export and import Graphs with additional data?

I'm trying to export and then later import graphs with additional data added such as VertexLabels and EdgeLabels. When I export ...
953 views

How can I extract the maximum value from a Histogram?

In Mathematica 8.04 I've created a histogram of returns on a stock using: ...
1k views

Adaptive sampling for slow to compute functions in 2D

EDIT: Although I have posted an answer based on my current progress, this in incomplete. Please see the "open issues" section in the answer. Most plotting functions in Mathematica adjust the ...
380 views

How to work with characters from CJK Unified Ideographs Extension B correctly?

Background: Recently I'm trying to deal with some Chinese characters which belongs to the CJK Unified Ideographs Extension B block. The motive comes from some further interest following a former ...
220 views

Why is the Locator snapping back to the original coordinates? How can I prevent this?

Take the following code: p = {3, 3}; Graphics[Circle[{5, 5}, 5], Epilog -> Dynamic@Locator[Dynamic[p]], Axes -> True, GridLines -> {{3}, {3}}] ...
603 views

Image levels: how to alter 'exposure' of dark and light areas?

I was working with some less than ideal photographs, and wanted to adjust them before continuing. I wanted to raise the levels of the very dark areas and lower the levels of the very light areas. I ...
1k views

Antialiasing in 3D

Is it possible? Is it platform specific? Does it rely on the graphics hardware? Why does the antialiasing slider under Preferences > Appearance > Graphics do nothing? I remember seeing some ...
192 views

How can I test properties of a symbol from the string name without the symbol completely evaluating

Suppose I have a few symbols, one of which has a value: {abc1, abc2 = 5, abc3}; I can use Names to get the list of names, as ...
306 views

Is there an NDSolveProcessEquations analog for NIntegrate?

NDSolve has an interface for repeatedly solving an equation with different initial conditions without having to analyze the equation and set up the solving algorithm each time. This can improve ...
2k views

What is the most efficient way to add rows and columns to a matrix?

Say I have a matrix m and a vector v. ...
626 views

Transparent textures don't show

EDIT For now, I'm going to accept Brett's answer. It's a way to get transparency back by having 3D calculations done in software instead of hardware. It addresses the symptoms but not the ...
141 views

How to avoid spaces between numbers when displaying TagBox(es)

The instruction : DisplayForm[RowBox[List[0,1,Superscript[2,3],Superscript[1,2],a]]] displays a gap between the first two items of the list but if one is ...
4k views

How to find the position of elements in a list satisfying criteria

Say I have a list x={2,4,6,8,10} and I want to find out the positions of the elements that are greater than 7. ...
480 views

How do you efficiently return all of a List but one element?

I have a problem that I am working on that requires that I compare several lists of overlapping data points. As I traverse one of the lists, I'd like to only compare those data to the other lists, and ...
631 views

What are the most common (usual) ways to make palettes with non-trivial functionality?

What are the best (most robust and most convenient) ways to create palettes that can be installed permanently (using Palettes -> Install Palette...) and are safe ...
846 views

How to find out the (current) free memory on the system?

Is there any way in Mathematica to find out the currently free memory on the system Mathematica runs on (like the utility free shows on the command line)? I've ...
1k views

Importing videos in Mathematica

Mathematica's Import command is purportedly able to import .AVI files. However, I find that many files that I want to import do only result in MMA showing a blank ...
2k views

Using ListPointPlot3D to simulate 2D plots moving in time

I wrote a 1D solver for the heat equation $u_t=u_{xx}$, and I can animate the solution using normal ListPlot command, where the x-axis is the rod length, and the ...
159 views

How to force neat linewrapping in Print?

I am regularly annoyed by the fact, that a neatly arranged Print statement gets ruined by a large piece of data, which - instead of linewrapping "in place" - is ...
261 views

How to check for Mathematica’s definition of XY?

The question is: Can I ask the Mathematica kernel directly what it takes as the definition of the built-in symbol XY? After all this has to be in the kernel. And if the documentation is not giving any ...
19k views

Get a “step by step” evaluation in Mathematica

Is it possible in Mathematica to get a step-by-step evaluation of some functions; that's to say, outputting not only the result but all the stages that have led to it? Example : Let's say I want to ...
2k views

How to find out which method Mathematica selected?

There are commands like NonlinearModelFit[] or NDSolve[] that have the option Method it ...
3k views

ListPlot: Plotting large data fast

Mathematica produces fantastic-looking graphics, but it can be slow on large data sets. Here is an example for a (random) time series: ...
1k views

Sum over n variables

What is the most painless way to sum over n variables, for example, if the range of summation is $i_1 < i_2 < i_3 < \dots < i_n$, where $n$ is an argument of the function in question? Is ...
405 views

Change syntax from other programs to mathematica syntax

Is there a good way to transform syntax from other computer algebra systems or from latex to mathematica syntax?
357 views

which is better, using Assert[] or manual checks on arguments and other computations?

I never used Asserts in Mathematica, but trying to see what advantage they have over just argument check and additional definitions of the function to capture unwanted input. For example, which one ...
530 views

Plot Option Precedence while combining Plots with Show[]`

I like to build sophisticated plots by combining simpler ones with Show[]. Typically this involves setting non-default Plot-Options with the different ...
1k views

Saving Mathematica kernel state?

If I save a notebook, I only save what I see. That is, if I close Mathematica and reopen the notebook later, all previous calculations are lost, except for those things I've output. Now I know that ...
203 views

Can the Notation function support complex structures on its left hand side?

In my investigation of the possibilities offered by the Notation package, I came over a limitation in the complexity of the left hand side symbol. For instance, although I am able to enter ...
1k views

Flatten command: matrix as second argument

One thing I could never wrap my head around is how Flatten works when provided with a matrix as the second argument, and the Mathematica help isn't particularly ...
267 views

Difficulties in creating strict and robust equivalence between two symbols using the Notation package

I am investigating the use of the Notation package facilities to create strict the equivalence between pretty-printed symbols such as ...
499 views

Continuous evaluation of complex calculations

When having a first look at some system, it's often very useful to just play with the parameters and see how it develops. Therefore, I would like to let a certain evaluation run "until I cancel it". ...
327 views

Manipulate evaluation sequence

Manipulate doesn't always evaluate in the order I expect it to. What is the evaluation sequence for Manipulate and other ...
2k views

Speeding up this fractal-generating code

I used the code below (which is a sample from this gist containing more similar code) in my answer to my own question about Mandelbrot-like sets for functions other than the simple quadratic on ...
2k views

How can I improve the speed of eigenvalue decompositions for large matrices?

I often need to compute the eigenvalues of large matrices, and I invariably resort to MATLAB for these, simply because it is much faster. I'd like to change that, so that I can work entirely inside my ...
380 views

What causes Manipulate to stop evaluating expressions?

I'm working on a N-body simulation within Mathematica, and currently I have something along these lines: ...
3k views

What is the distinction between DownValues, UpValues, SubValues, and OwnValues?

When reading through the documentation, you often encounter the phrases DownValues, UpValues, ...
1k views

How can I ensure graphics exported in WMF format don't have text-spacing problems?

A lot of my work involves manipulating data, drawing a pretty plot of it and then inserting that graphic into a report written in Microsoft Word, under Windows.1 The fun comes with the exporting part. ...
194 views

Choosing among different function definitions without sacrificing speed

I'm working on some code that numerically integrates a function, let's call it G, which calls another function, F, that can be ...
331 views

Creating custom notation

How does one generate custom symbols? For example, the physicist notation for the rotation is "nabla cross function". In this case however, Mathematica complains that the ...
629 views

How can I randomly generate a unique, unused symbol?

In a previous question on collecting terms for a multivariable polynomial, I answered with a solution that required a unused symbol to be used for a temporary substitution and back substitution. It ...
483 views

What are the exact guidelines for what is allowed in a CDF?

I have read the guidelines published by Wolfram (these are restricted: non-numeric input fields, dialog windows, and data import and export) but I have a CDF that seems simple enough and seems to ...
181 views

Clearing a specific definition

Consider the case where a symbol has multiple definitions attached to it, a /: Subscript[a,2] := 1 a[b_] := 2 a[b_, c_] := 3 How does one clear (/unset/remove) ...
574 views

How can I get Overlay to position graphics according to coordinates?

If I draw graphics like this, I get exactly what I need: Graphics[{{Blue, Disk[{0, 0}, 10, {0, Pi/2}]}, {Red, Disk[{0, 0}, 3, {0, Pi/4}]}}] But I need to ...
3k views

Best way to give presentations with Mathematica

I have typically used PowerPoint or plain PDFs of slides to give presentations, but with heavy mathematical content, it can be tedious to create these presentations and make them look good. How can I ...
1k views

How can I implement dynamic programming for a function with more than one argument?

Dynamic programming is a technique for avoiding the repeated computation of the same values in a recursive program. Each value computed is immediately stored. If the value is needed again, it is ...