Whenever you type “=” after an expression involving range variables, Mathcad shows the computed values in an output table. Figure 11-2 shows the values of several range variables displayed as output tables.

Figure 11-3 shows some output tables for slightly more complicated expressions involving range variables

To create the three tables in Figure 11-3, first define the range variable. Then type these equations:

i=
x[i=
i*10=

Whenever you type an expression followed by “=” Mathcad displays:

• a number, if the result is a scalar (a single number).
• a vector or a matrix, if the result is a vector or a matrix and the expression to the left of the “=” contains no range variables.
• a table like that shown in Figure 11-3 if the expression to the left of the “=” contains range variables.
• A scrolling output table if the result is a vector or a matrix, the expression to the left of the “=” contains no range variables, and the result has more than nine rows or columns. Scrolling output tables are discussed in the section “Displaying vectors and matrices”

Since both x= and x [i = display the same numbers, you can think of tables as another way of viewing the contents of a vector. Tables are particularly convenient for viewing selected parts of a vector. For example, if you’ve defined a vector v, you can view every other element of that vector by typing:

Here are some facts about output tables in Mathcad:

• Mathcad shows only the first 50 values of a ranged expression in a table. For example, even if i ranges from 1 to 100, typing i A 2 = will show only the values from 12 up to 502 in a table. To see more than 50 values, use several range variables and several tables. You could, for example, define}1 from 1 to 50 and}2 from 51 to 100, and then show tables for j 1 A 2 = and j 2 A 2 =, side by side.

• To format the numbers in a table, click in the table and choose Number from the Format menu. Then specify your formatting preferences in the dialog box as you would for an equation with a single numeric result. For more information on number formatting, see Chapter 6, “Equation and Result Formatting.”

• There are three ways to show the values in a vector. If you use a vector name with a subscript like Xj =, Mathcad shows an output table. If instead you type a vector name without a subscript like x =, Mathcad shows the vector as a vector rather than as an output table. If you type a vector name without a subscript and the vector has more than nine elements, you see a scrolling output table as described in the section “Displaying vectors and matrices” in Keep in mind that these are just three different ways of looking at the same thing: an ordered collection of numbers.

• You can’t use units with a table as you would with a single scalar answer. If the results in a table have dimensions, Mathcad shows dimensions on each value in the .” table. To avoid this, divide the ranged expression by the units. See Figure 11-4.