Re: New book: Statistics - A Maxima Companion
"Dr. Wolfgang Lindner" <[email protected]> Fri, 3 Jul 2026 11:44:47 +0200
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Robert,=20
thank you very much for your kind words and for including my booklet in =
the Maxima document folder. I am also very grateful for the many =
concrete suggestions you give.
=20
Robert> I guess I would recommend using existing functions to the extent =
that
it's not too clumsy to work them into the examples. There are =
pdf,
cdf, etc. for a number of distributions in the distrib package.
Please look e.g. on p.7 and click on [>mean] or p.17 and click on =
[>std], you will see that
I use indeed the build-in functions from 'descriptive' in the =
_examples_. Also e.g. p.44 Example.1 [>Check example].
But in the _exercises_ I let the user reconstruct these concepts to help =
his/her understanding of the mathematical concept in 'plain' Maxima.
This way I tried to fullfill both needs.
Robert> I noticed listmake(x) which is the same as makelist(0, x).
Ah, thanks for this hint. I was not aware of it.
Robert> Also, 'ranks' and 'ordering' are now built-in functions,=20
although it appears 'ranks' is the same as the function=20
'correspond' and not the same as 'rank' in the examples.
ok, I will think about it. BTW, I like very much the coding of 'rank' by =
Michel Gosse (with enhancement by Leo Butler), which I look at as a =
'programming pearl' :) and which should be enjoyed by the reader, =
especially w.r.t. the 'incomprehensible' loop construct in the original =
function crank() of Numerical Recipes .. which I tried to translate to =
Maxima at first.
Similar is M. Riotorto=E2=80=99s contribution of the 'mode' function, a =
nice illuminating construct IMO, which I like very much in contrast to =
other possible implementations.
Robert> As a part of that, I would recommend applying float or numer=20
less often; I think the symbolic and exact results would be=20
clearer without it.
My motivation to use function float() resp. option(?) '..,numer' was =
because of the
comparability of the results w.r.t. R or MATLAB, where results are often =
provided as floating-point numbers.
By crossing out float or number, the user should easily be able to get a =
different format, right?
Best regards and thanks for your valuable and helpful comments,
Wolfgang
> Am 03.07.2026 um 08:32 schrieb Robert Dodier =
<[email protected]>:
>=20
> Wolfgang, thanks a lot for your work on the statistics companion for
> Maxima. I have added it to the list of publications:
>=20
> https://maxima.sourceforge.io/documentation.html
>=20
> Very solid work, comprehensive and clear. I have a few minor comments
> which I hope you might find useful.
>=20
> I guess I would recommend using existing functions to the extent that
> it's not too clumsy to work them into the examples. There are pdf,
> cdf, etc. for a number of distributions in the distrib package.
>=20
> Also, some of the helper functions could be replaced by built-in
> functions. I noticed listmake(x) which is the same as makelist(0, x).
> Also, 'ranks' and 'ordering' are now built-in functions, although it
> appears 'ranks' is the same as the function 'correspond' and not the
> same as 'rank' in the examples.
>=20
> I think one of the major advantages of Maxima with respect to
> statistics is the ability to easily mix numerical and symbolic
> computing. I've encountered problems in which that proves to be useful
> in cases where the values involved might be either numerical or
> symbolic. E.g. a data set comprising [ 11, 5, 13, 17, 8, 5 + y, 2, 7
> ], or a data set [ a[1], a[2], a[3], a[4], a[5] ], then computing some
> kind of general result, and then studying that expression as a
> function of the free parameters.
>=20
> As a part of that, I would recommend applying float or numer less
> often; I think the symbolic and exact results would be clearer without
> it.
>=20
> There is, I believe, a lot that can be said about Maxima as a tool for
> general data processing, especially of a non-numeric or semi-numeric
> flavor. But that's an entire separate book, I suspect, which I might
> write someday.
>=20
> Keep up the good work! It is very valuable to the Maxima community,
> and I'm grateful for your contribution.
>=20
> All the best,
>=20
> Robert
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<html aria-label=3D"message body"><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" =
content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8"></head><body =
style=3D"overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;">Robert, </span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">thank you =
very much for your kind words and for including my booklet in the Maxima =
document folder. I am also very grateful for the many concrete =
suggestions you give.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"> </span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;">Robert> I guess I would recommend using existing functions to =
the extent that</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;"> =
it's not too clumsy to work them into the examples. =
There are pdf,</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;"> =
cdf, etc. for a number of distributions in the =
distrib package.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">Please =
look e.g. on p.7 and click on [>mean] or p.17 and click on [>std], =
you will see that</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">I =
use indeed the build-in functions from 'descriptive' in the _examples_. =
Also e.g. p.44 Example.1 [>Check example].</span></div><div><span =
style=3D"font-size: 14px;">But in the _exercises_ I let the user =
reconstruct these concepts to help his/her understanding of the =
mathematical concept in 'plain' Maxima.</span></div><div><span =
style=3D"font-size: 14px;">This way I tried to fullfill both =
needs.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">Robert> =
I noticed listmake(x) which is the same as makelist(0, =
x).</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">Ah, thanks =
for this hint. I was not aware of it.</span></div><div><span =
style=3D"font-size: 14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size:=
14px;">Robert> Also, 'ranks' and 'ordering' are now built-in =
functions, </span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"> although it appears 'ranks' is the =
same as the function </span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"> 'correspond' and not the same as =
'rank' in the examples.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">ok, I will =
think about it. BTW, I like very much the coding of 'rank' by Michel =
Gosse (with enhancement by Leo Butler), which I look at as a =
'programming pearl' :) and which should be enjoyed by the reader, =
especially w.r.t. the 'incomprehensible' loop construct in the original =
function crank() of Numerical Recipes .. which I tried to translate to =
Maxima at first.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">Similar is =
M. Riotorto=E2=80=99s contribution of the 'mode' function, a nice =
illuminating construct IMO, which I like very much in contrast to other =
possible implementations.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">Robert> =
As a part of that, I would recommend applying float or =
numer </span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;"> =
less often; I think the symbolic and exact results =
would be </span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;"> =
clearer without it.</span></div><div><span =
style=3D"font-size: 14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size:=
14px;">My motivation to use function float() resp. option(?) '..,numer' =
was because of the</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;">comparability of the results w.r.t. R or MATLAB, where results =
are often provided as floating-point numbers.</span></div><div><span =
style=3D"font-size: 14px;">By crossing out float or number, the user =
should easily be able to get a different format, =
right?</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: 14px;">Best =
regards and thanks for your valuable and helpful =
comments,</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-size: =
14px;">Wolfgang</span></div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><bloc=
kquote type=3D"cite"><div>Am 03.07.2026 um 08:32 schrieb Robert Dodier =
<[email protected]>:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div>Wolfgang, thanks a lot for =
your work on the statistics companion for<br>Maxima. I have added it to =
the list of =
publications:<br><br>https://maxima.sourceforge.io/documentation.html<br><=
br>Very solid work, comprehensive and clear. I have a few minor =
comments<br>which I hope you might find useful.<br><br>I guess I would =
recommend using existing functions to the extent that<br>it's not too =
clumsy to work them into the examples. There are pdf,<br>cdf, etc. for a =
number of distributions in the distrib package.<br><br>Also, some of the =
helper functions could be replaced by built-in<br>functions. I noticed =
listmake(x) which is the same as makelist(0, x).<br>Also, 'ranks' and =
'ordering' are now built-in functions, although it<br>appears 'ranks' is =
the same as the function 'correspond' and not the<br>same as 'rank' in =
the examples.<br><br>I think one of the major advantages of Maxima with =
respect to<br>statistics is the ability to easily mix numerical and =
symbolic<br>computing. I've encountered problems in which that proves to =
be useful<br>in cases where the values involved might be either =
numerical or<br>symbolic. E.g. a data set comprising [ 11, 5, 13, 17, 8, =
5 + y, 2, 7<br>], or a data set [ a[1], a[2], a[3], a[4], a[5] ], then =
computing some<br>kind of general result, and then studying that =
expression as a<br>function of the free parameters.<br><br>As a part of =
that, I would recommend applying float or numer less<br>often; I think =
the symbolic and exact results would be clearer =
without<br>it.<br><br>There is, I believe, a lot that can be said about =
Maxima as a tool for<br>general data processing, especially of a =
non-numeric or semi-numeric<br>flavor. But that's an entire separate =
book, I suspect, which I might<br>write someday.<br><br>Keep up the good =
work! It is very valuable to the Maxima community,<br>and I'm grateful =
for your contribution.<br><br>All the =
best,<br><br>Robert<br></div></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>=
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