Testwiki:Reference desk/Archives/Mathematics/2010 July 3

{| width = "100%"

|- ! colspan="3" align="center" | Mathematics desk |- ! width="20%" align="left" | < July 2 ! width="25%" align="center"|<< Jun | July | Aug >> ! width="20%" align="right" |Current desk > |}

Welcome to the Wikipedia Mathematics Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

July 3

Notation for a non-derivative with prime (')

Let's say ${}_{.}\epsilon =X\cdot Y|$ and ${}_{.}\text{secondary }\epsilon ={\epsilon }^{\prime }=\frac{X}{Y^2};{}_{.}$.
What if, in certain cases, you want to identify $X$ and——therefore——${}_{.}\epsilon |$, with respect to $\lambda$?: $|\epsilon (\lambda )=X\cdot Y(\lambda )$. But what about ${}_{.}{\epsilon }^{\prime }$? Is there a standard/established modification for the non-derivative ${\epsilon }^{\prime }$, maybe $\epsilon (\lambda {)}^{\prime }$ or ${\epsilon }^{\prime }|(\lambda ){}_{.}$? $({\epsilon }^{\prime })(\lambda ){}_{.}$ seems awkward. P=|  ~Kaimbridge~ (talk) 18:06, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

It would just be ${\epsilon }^{\prime }(\lambda )$. You just have to tell that it isn't a derivative from context. If the context isn't clear enough, then don't use primes to distinguish between functions. Use $\tilde{\epsilon }$ or something. --Tango (talk) 18:22, 3 July 2010 (UTC)