TI-92 beats Mathematica! (Sort of)

To: CALC-TI@LISTS.PPP.TI.COM
Subject: TI-92 beats Mathematica! (Sort of)
From: "Nester, Darryl" <nesterd@BLUFFTON.EDU>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 15:48:38 -0500
Reply-To: "Nester, Darryl" <nesterd@BLUFFTON.EDU>

In the process of solving a problem, Mathematica produced the expression

   ArcTan[1/Sqrt[3 + 2 Sqrt[2]]]

I wanted to see if this could be simplified, but Mathematica wouldn't give
me anything different.  (Perhaps someone who knows a few more Mathematica
tricks could get an answer.)  The TI-92, though, immediately responded with

   Pi / 8.

Additionally, I found that Mathematica wouldn't simplify Tan[Pi/8], while
the TI-92 gives

   Sqrt(2 - Sqrt(2)) / Sqrt(2 + Sqrt(2))

(which can be rewritten as 1/Sqrt(3 + 2 Sqrt(2)).

--
Darryl K. Nester                E-mail: mailto:nesterd@bluffton.edu
Assoc. Prof. of Mathematics        WWW: http://www.bluffton.edu/~nesterd
Bluffton College                 Phone: 419-358-3483
Bluffton, OH  45817-1704           Fax: 419-358-3232

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