### 7.5 Operators for Equations

Operator: #

  Represents the negation of syntactic equality `=`.

  Note that because of the rules for evaluation of predicate expressions (in particular because `not expr` causes evaluation of expr), `not a = b` is equivalent to `is(a # b)`, instead of `a # b`.

  Examples:

      (%i1) a = b;
      (%o1)                         a = b
      (%i2) is (a = b);
      (%o2)                         false
      (%i3) a # b;
      (%o3)                         a # b
      (%i4) not a = b;
      (%o4)                         true
      (%i5) is (a # b);
      (%o5)                         true
      (%i6) is (not a = b);
      (%o6)                         true

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  Categories: Operators

Operator: =

  The equation operator.

  An expression `a = b`, by itself, represents an unevaluated equation, which might or might not hold. Unevaluated equations may appear as arguments to `solve` and `algsys` or some other functions.

  The function `is` evaluates `=` to a Boolean value. `is(a = b)` evaluates `a = b` to `true` when a and b are identical. That is, a and b are atoms which are identical, or they are not atoms and their operators are identical and their arguments are identical. Otherwise, `is(a = b)` evaluates to `false`; it never evaluates to `unknown`. When `is(a = b)` is `true`, a and b are said to be syntactically equal, in contrast to equivalent expressions, for which `is(equal(a, b))` is `true`. Expressions can be equivalent and not syntactically equal.

  The negation of `=` is represented by `#`. As with `=`, an expression `a # b`, by itself, is not evaluated. `is(a # b)` evaluates `a # b` to `true` or `false`.

  In addition to `is`, some other operators evaluate `=` and `#` to `true` or `false`, namely `if`, `and`, `or`, and `not`.

  Note that because of the rules for evaluation of predicate expressions (in particular because `not expr` causes evaluation of expr), `not a = b` is equivalent to `is(a # b)`, instead of `a # b`.

  `rhs` and `lhs` return the right-hand and left-hand sides, respectively, of an equation or inequation.

  See also `equal` and `notequal`.

  Examples:

  An expression `a = b`, by itself, represents an unevaluated equation, which might or might not hold.

      (%i1) eq_1 : a * x - 5 * y = 17;
      (%o1)                    a x - 5 y = 17
      (%i2) eq_2 : b * x + 3 * y = 29;
      (%o2)                    3 y + b x = 29
      (%i3) solve ([eq_1, eq_2], [x, y]);
                              196         29 a - 17 b
      (%o3)          [[x = ---------, y = -----------]]
                           5 b + 3 a       5 b + 3 a
      (%i4) subst (%, [eq_1, eq_2]);

               196 a     5 (29 a - 17 b)
      (%o4) [--------- - --------------- = 17,
             5 b + 3 a      5 b + 3 a
                                        196 b     3 (29 a - 17 b)
                                      --------- + --------------- = 29]
                                      5 b + 3 a      5 b + 3 a

      (%i5) ratsimp (%);
      (%o5)                  [17 = 17, 29 = 29]

  `is(a = b)` evaluates `a = b` to `true` when a and b are syntactically equal (that is, identical). Expressions can be equivalent and not syntactically equal.

      (%i1) a : (x + 1) * (x - 1);
      (%o1)                    (x - 1) (x + 1)
      (%i2) b : x^2 - 1;
                                    2
      (%o2)                        x  - 1
      (%i3) [is (a = b), is (a # b)];
      (%o3)                     [false, true]
      (%i4) [is (equal (a, b)), is (notequal (a, b))];
      (%o4)                     [true, false]

  Some operators evaluate `=` and `#` to `true` or `false`.

      (%i1) if expand ((x + y)^2) = x^2 + 2 * x * y + y^2 then FOO else
            BAR;
      (%o1)                          FOO
      (%i2) eq_3 : 2 * x = 3 * x;
      (%o2)                       2 x = 3 x
      (%i3) eq_4 : exp (2) = %e^2;
                                    2     2
      (%o3)                       %e  = %e
      (%i4) [eq_3 and eq_4, eq_3 or eq_4, not eq_3];
      (%o4)                  [false, true, true]

  Because `not expr` causes evaluation of expr, `not a = b` is equivalent to `is(a # b)`.

      (%i1) [2 * x # 3 * x, not (2 * x = 3 * x)];
      (%o1)                   [2 x # 3 x, true]
      (%i2) is (2 * x # 3 * x);
      (%o2)                         true

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  Categories: Operators