josdejong/mathjs

Rationalize giving error on 1/(x^-2)

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#1724 opened on Jan 27, 2020

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 (7 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (13,832 stars) (1,298 forks)batch import
bughelp wanted

Description

Running math.rationalize('1/(x^-2)') gives the error Cannot read property '1' of undefined.

However, running math.rationalize('1/(x^-1)') gives the result x as you'd expect.

I'm using mathjs 6.5.0. Haven't tested other versions.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascriptnodejs
Domain
toolingdeveloper experience
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic JavaScriptmathjs rationalize function
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
The issue involves a bug in `math.rationalize` when handling negative exponents like `x^ 2`. The error 'Cannot read property '1' of undefined' suggests a problem in parsing or simplifying the expression. Start by examining the source code for `rationalize` in `src/function/algebra/rationalize.js` and trace how it handles power nodes with negative exponents. Check the issue comments for any hints from maintainers or contributors.