problems with integration

[Han]

(01-10-2015 10:30 AM)resolved Wrote:  sorry but I am new to all this jargon, but to help me avoid creating this kind of problem in the future, how do I know or how can I tell when I am working with a function versus an expression???? what I gather is "f" is a function but "f(x)" is an expression?? and how should they be used differently????

I'm sure parisse has more to say, but as I understand it, a mathematical function \( f(x) \) is represented in the CAS as f(x):=x^2 or f:=(x)->x^2. Typing f(x):=x^2 is the same as typing f:=(x)->(x^2). On the other hand, if we use f:=x^2 then we have simply created a variable named f whose content is the expression x^2.