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# 37. Lists

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## 37.1 Introduction to Lists

Lists are the basic building block for Maxima and Lisp. All data types other than arrays, hash tables, numbers are represented as Lisp lists, These Lisp lists have the form

    ((MPLUS) $A 2)

to indicate an expression `a+2`. At Maxima level one would see the infix notation `a+2`. Maxima also has lists which are printed as

    [1, 2, 7, x+y]

for a list with 4 elements. Internally this corresponds to a Lisp list of the form

    ((MLIST) 1  2  7  ((MPLUS)  $X $Y ))

The flag which denotes the type field of the Maxima expression is a list itself, since after it has been through the simplifier the list would become

    ((MLIST SIMP) 1 2 7 ((MPLUS SIMP) $X $Y))

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## 37.2 Functions and Variables for Lists

Function: append (list_1, ..., list_n)

  Returns a single list of the elements of list_1 followed by the elements of list_2, ... `append` also works on general expressions, e.g. `append (f(a,b), f(c,d,e));` yields `f(a,b,c,d,e)`.

  Do `example(append);` for an example.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: assoc (key, list, default)
Function: assoc (key, list)

  This function searches for the key in the left hand side of the input list of the form `[x,y,z,...]` where each of the list elements is an expression of a binary operand and 2 elements. For example `x=1`, `2^3`, `[a,b]` etc. The key is checked againts the first operand. `assoc` returns the second operand if the `key` is found. If the `key` is not found it either returns the default value. default is optional and defaults to `false`.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: atom (expr)

  Returns `true` if expr is atomic (i.e. a number, name or string) else `false`. Thus `atom(5)` is `true` while `atom(a[1])` and `atom(sin(x))` are `false` (asuming `a[1]` and `x` are unbound).

  Categories: Expressions · Predicate functions

Function: cons (expr, list)

  Returns a new list constructed of the element expr as its first element, followed by the elements of list. `cons` also works on other expressions, e.g. `cons(x, f(a,b,c));` -> `f(x,a,b,c)`.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: copylist (list)

  Returns a copy of the list list.

  Categories: Lists

Function: create_list (form, x_1, list_1, ..., x_n, list_n)

  Create a list by evaluating form with x_1 bound to each element of list_1, and for each such binding bind x_2 to each element of list_2, .... The number of elements in the result will be the product of the number of elements in each list. Each variable x_i must actually be a symbol - it will not be evaluated. The list arguments will be evaluated once at the beginning of the iteration.

      (%i1) create_list(x^i,i,[1,3,7]);
                       3   7
      (%o1)       [x, x , x ]

  With a double iteration:

      (%i1) create_list([i,j],i,[a,b],j,[e,f,h]);
      (%o1) [[a, e], [a, f], [a, h], [b, e], [b, f], [b, h]]

  Instead of list_i two args may be supplied each of which should evaluate to a number. These will be the inclusive lower and upper bounds for the iteration.

      (%i1) create_list([i,j],i,[1,2,3],j,1,i);
      (%o1) [[1, 1], [2, 1], [2, 2], [3, 1], [3, 2], [3, 3]]

  Note that the limits or list for the `j` variable can depend on the current value of `i`.

  Categories: Lists

Function: delete (expr_1, expr_2)
Function: delete (expr_1, expr_2, n)

  Removes all occurrences of expr_1 from expr_2. expr_1 may be a term of expr_2 (if it is a sum) or a factor of expr_2 (if it is a product).

      (%i1) delete(sin(x), x+sin(x)+y);
      (%o1)                         y + x

  `delete(expr_1, expr_2, n)` removes the first n occurrences of expr_1 from expr_2. If there are fewer than n occurrences of expr_1 in expr_2 then all occurrences will be deleted.

      (%i1) delete(a, f(a,b,c,d,a));
      (%o1)                      f(b, c, d)
      (%i2) delete(a, f(a,b,a,c,d,a), 2);
      (%o2)                     f(b, c, d, a)

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: eighth (expr)

  Returns the 8'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: endcons (expr, list)

  Returns a new list consisting of the elements of `list` followed by expr. `endcons` also works on general expressions, e.g. `endcons(x, f(a,b,c));` -> `f(a,b,c,x)`.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: fifth (expr)

  Returns the 5'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: first (expr)

  Returns the first part of expr which may result in the first element of a list, the first row of a matrix, the first term of a sum, etc. Note that `first` and its related functions, `rest` and `last`, work on the form of expr which is displayed not the form which is typed on input. If the variable `inflag` is set to `true` however, these functions will look at the internal form of expr. Note that the simplifier re-orders expressions. Thus `first(x+y)` will be `x` if `inflag` is `true` and `y` if `inflag` is `false` (`first(y+x)` gives the same results). The functions `second` .. `tenth` yield the second through the tenth part of their input argument.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: fourth (expr)

  Returns the 4'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: get (a, i)

  Retrieves the user property indicated by i associated with atom a or returns `false` if a doesn't have property i.

  `get` evaluates its arguments.

      (%i1) put (%e, 'transcendental, 'type);
      (%o1)                    transcendental
      (%i2) put (%pi, 'transcendental, 'type)$
      (%i3) put (%i, 'algebraic, 'type)$
      (%i4) typeof (expr) := block ([q],
              if numberp (expr)
              then return ('algebraic),
              if not atom (expr)
              then return (maplist ('typeof, expr)),
              q: get (expr, 'type),
              if q=false
              then errcatch (error(expr,"is not numeric.")) else q)$
      (%i5) typeof (2*%e + x*%pi);
      x is not numeric.
      (%o5)  [[transcendental, []], [algebraic, transcendental]]
      (%i6) typeof (2*%e + %pi);
      (%o6)     [transcendental, [algebraic, transcendental]]

  Categories: Declarations and inferences

Function: join (l, m)

  Creates a new list containing the elements of lists l and m, interspersed. The result has elements `[l[1], m[1], l[2], m[2], ...]`. The lists l and m may contain any type of elements.

  If the lists are different lengths, `join` ignores elements of the longer list.

  Maxima complains if l or m is not a list.

  Examples:

      (%i1) L1: [a, sin(b), c!, d - 1];
      (%o1)                [a, sin(b), c!, d - 1]
      (%i2) join (L1, [1, 2, 3, 4]);
      (%o2)          [a, 1, sin(b), 2, c!, 3, d - 1, 4]
      (%i3) join (L1, [aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff]);
      (%o3)        [a, aa, sin(b), bb, c!, cc, d - 1, dd]

  Categories: Lists

Function: last (expr)

  Returns the last part (term, row, element, etc.) of the expr.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: length (expr)

  Returns (by default) the number of parts in the external (displayed) form of expr. For lists this is the number of elements, for matrices it is the number of rows, and for sums it is the number of terms (see `dispform`).

  The `length` command is affected by the `inflag` switch. So, e.g. `length(a/(b*c));` gives 2 if `inflag` is `false` (Assuming `exptdispflag` is `true`), but 3 if `inflag` is `true` (the internal representation is essentially `a*b^-1*c^-1`).

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Option variable: listarith

  default value: `true` - if `false` causes any arithmetic operations with lists to be suppressed; when `true`, list-matrix operations are contagious causing lists to be converted to matrices yielding a result which is always a matrix. However, list-list operations should return lists.

  Categories: Lists · Global flags

Function: listp (expr)

  Returns `true` if expr is a list else `false`.

  Categories: Lists · Predicate functions

Function: makelist (expr, i, i_0, i_1)
Function: makelist (expr, x, list)

  Constructs and returns a list, each element of which is generated from expr.

  `makelist (expr, i, i_0, i_1)` returns a list, the `j`'th element of which is equal to `ev (expr, i=j)` for `j` equal to i_0 through i_1.

  `makelist (expr, x, list)` returns a list, the `j`'th element of which is equal to `ev (expr, x=list[j])` for `j` equal to 1 through `length (list)`.

  Examples:

      (%i1) makelist(concat(x,i),i,1,6);
      (%o1)               [x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x6]
      (%i2) makelist(x=y,y,[a,b,c]);
      (%o2)                 [x = a, x = b, x = c]

  Categories: Lists

Function: member (expr_1, expr_2)

  Returns `true` if `is(expr_1 = a)` for some element a in `args(expr_2)`, otherwise returns `false`.

  `expr_2` is typically a list, in which case `args(expr_2) = expr_2` and `is(expr_1 = a)` for some element a in `expr_2` is the test.

  `member` does not inspect parts of the arguments of `expr_2`, so it may return `false` even if `expr_1` is a part of some argument of `expr_2`.

  See also `elementp`.

  Examples:

      (%i1) member (8, [8, 8.0, 8b0]);
      (%o1)                         true
      (%i2) member (8, [8.0, 8b0]);
      (%o2)                         false
      (%i3) member (b, [a, b, c]);
      (%o3)                         true
      (%i4) member (b, [[a, b], [b, c]]);
      (%o4)                         false
      (%i5) member ([b, c], [[a, b], [b, c]]);
      (%o5)                         true
      (%i6) F (1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8);
                                     1  1  1
      (%o6)                     F(1, -, -, -)
                                     2  4  8
      (%i7) member (1/8, %);
      (%o7)                         true
      (%i8) member ("ab", ["aa", "ab", sin(1), a + b]);
      (%o8)                         true

  Categories: Lists · Expressions · Predicate functions

Function: ninth (expr)

  Returns the 9'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: unique (L)

  Returns the unique elements of the list L.

  When all the elements of L are unique, `unique` returns a shallow copy of L, not L itself.

  If L is not a list, `unique` returns L.

  Example:

      (%i1) unique ([1, %pi, a + b, 2, 1, %e, %pi, a + b, [1]]);
      (%o1)              [1, 2, %e, %pi, [1], b + a]

Function: rest (expr, n)
Function: rest (expr)

  Returns expr with its first n elements removed if n is positive and its last `- n` elements removed if n is negative. If n is 1 it may be omitted. expr may be a list, matrix, or other expression.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: reverse (list)

  Reverses the order of the members of the list (not the members themselves). `reverse` also works on general expressions, e.g. `reverse(a=b);` gives `b=a`.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: second (expr)

  Returns the 2'nd item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: seventh (expr)

  Returns the 7'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: sixth (expr)

  Returns the 6'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: sublist_indices (L, P)

  Returns the indices of the elements `x` of the list L for which the predicate `maybe(P(x))` returns `true`; this excludes `unknown` as well as `false`. P may be the name of a function or a lambda expression. L must be a literal list.

  Examples:

      (%i1) sublist_indices ('[a, b, b, c, 1, 2, b, 3, b],
                             lambda ([x], x='b));
      (%o1)                     [2, 3, 7, 9]
      (%i2) sublist_indices ('[a, b, b, c, 1, 2, b, 3, b], symbolp);
      (%o2)                  [1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9]
      (%i3) sublist_indices ([1 > 0, 1 < 0, 2 < 1, 2 > 1, 2 > 0],
                             identity);
      (%o3)                       [1, 4, 5]
      (%i4) assume (x < -1);
      (%o4)                       [x < - 1]
      (%i5) map (maybe, [x > 0, x < 0, x < -2]);
      (%o5)                [false, true, unknown]
      (%i6) sublist_indices ([x > 0, x < 0, x < -2], identity);
      (%o6)                          [2]

  Categories: Lists

Function: tenth (expr)

  Returns the 10'th item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

Function: third (expr)

  Returns the 3'rd item of expression or list expr. See `first` for more details.

  Categories: Lists · Expressions

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This document was generated by Robert Dodier on August, 24 2008 using texi2html 1.76.