We have added a new Uns(implified) display style.

The inline calculator automatically simplifies exact calculations. For example, if you have the display style set to Exa(ct), and perform the following calculation:

{1/4+1/6}

The calculator will return the simplified fraction 5/12

Often teachers do not want to simplify things immediately. Instead, they want to show the unsimplified version and then show the process of simplification. In other words, they would prefer to see 10/24. The new Uns display setting performs calculations without simplification.

Setting the Unsimplified Style

Using Unsimplified Results

We have added a new Simplify calculator command that allows you to manually simplify unsimplified results. For example, you might enter this:

The simplify command will only affect output when you are set to the Uns display style. The simplify command simplifies fractions – not algebra.

Probability

The Uns display style as created to address issues we experienced writing probability questions. Often, when writing solutions, we wanted an unsimplified version of the fraction to highlight the total number of possibilities on the denominator of the fraction. For example, if we had 100 students and were finding the probability that they took a bus to school, we might end up with a result of 36/100. Showing this is important, as is showing the simplified version of the fraction.

This did, however, create a difficulty! If the solution ended up being 36/100 we want to show the simplified 9/25. If the solution ended up being 37/100 we cannot simplify and would prefer to not show a redundant simplification.

The need to selectively show information depending on whether an expression can be simplified led to the final part of the new feature.

IfNotSimple

The IfNotSimple calculator command only outputs text if the input is not simple.

ifnotsimple(expression,”I need to be simplified!”)

This command, combined with Simplify, solves the probability problem.

Normally, these commands will be used on parameters rather than raw numbers.