Mathematica Tutorial

Sequences of Operations

In doing a calculation with Mathematica, you usually go through a sequence of steps. If you want to, you can do each step on a separate line. Often, however, you will find it convenient to put several steps on the same line. You can do this simply by separating the pieces of input you want to give with semicolons.

expr₁;expr₂;expr₃	do several operations, and give the result of the last one
expr₁;expr₂;	do the operations, but print no output

Ways to do sequences of operations in Mathematica.

This does three operations on the same line. The result is the result from the last operation.

In[1]:=

Out[1]=

If you end your input with a semicolon, it is as if you are giving a sequence of operations, with an "empty" one at the end. This has the effect of making Mathematica perform the operations you specify, but display no output.

expr;

do an operation, but display no output

Inhibiting output.

Putting a semicolon at the end of the line tells Mathematica to show no output.

In[2]:=

You can still use % to get the output that would have been shown.

In[3]:=

Out[3]=