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

Typing after an expression with range variables gives an output table

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.

Units in a table.