[Rd] Multiplication (PR#8466)

[casella@stat.ufl.edu]

Thanks

Herve Pages wrote:

> Thomas Lumley wrote:
> 
>> On Fri, 6 Jan 2006, casella at stat.ufl.edu wrote:
>>
>>  
>>
>>> hi - in version 2.1 the command
>>>
>>>   
>>>
>>>> -2^2
>>>>     
>>>
>>> gives
>>>
>>> -4
>>>
>>> as the answer.  (-2)^2 is evaluated correctly.
>>>   
>>
>>
>> So is -2^2.  The precedence of ^ is higher than that of unary minus. 
>> It may be surprising, but it *is* documented and has been in S for a 
>> long time.
>>
>>
>>     -thomas
>>  
>>
> No, it's not surprising. At least to me...
> In the country where I grew up, I've been teached that -x^2 means -(x^2)
> not (-x)^2 ;-)
> 
> H.
> 

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