> User's Guide > Algebra
Linear Combinations

A linear combination is composed of a set of terms and a constant separated by plus signs "+". Any whitespace characters around plus signs are ignored. Terms are composed of a coefficient and a variable, and they have the syntax:

(Coefficient) Variable.

At least one whitespace character must exist between the variable and the closing parenthesis of the coefficient. Constants have the syntax:

(Constant).

Each term of a linear combination must contain a unique variable. The constant can appear anywhere within the linear combination, but only one constant is allowed. Coefficients and constants must be parsable as finite double precision numbers. If a coefficient equals unity, it can be omitted entirely. If a constant equals zero, it can be omitted entirely.

For example, the linear combination x + y could be represented as any of the following:

x + y
(1) x + y
x + (1) y
x + y + (0)
(1) x + y + (0)
x + (1) y + (0)
(1) x + (1) y + (0)