josdejong/mathjs

simplify("(x^2)^0.5") should be "abs(x)"

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#3,329 opened on Nov 29, 2024

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Description

While there are genuine use cases when returning "x" would be better (that's what most humans would expect), strictly speaking it is incorrect.

To reproduce in the mathnotepad:

derivative("(x^2)^0.5", "x").evaluate({x:-3})
    1

derivative("(x^2)^0.5", "x", {simplify:false}).evaluate({x:-3})
    -1

Here I evaluate the same derivative at the same point x=-3 but get two different results. Same problem for x^4 and I assume all other even powers.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Trace the simplification logic for power and square root to understand when it incorrectly simplifies (x^2)^0.5 to x instead of abs(x).
Tech stack
javascript
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
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.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
JavaScript
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70