you would want to have several functions
one to define a polynom as a name
one to add 2 polynoms
one to multiply 2 polynoms

and it would be nice to propose a menu to the user, so that he can
choose what he wants to do

A frame for your program  could be ( i did not debug it...)

polynome= {}

def initPolynom():
    global polynome
    name= raw_input('Polynom name ?')
    degree=raw_input('degree ?')
    coeff=[]
    for i in range (0, degree+1):
        coefficient = raw_input('coeff for x^ %i' %i)
        coeff.append(coefficient)
    polynome[name]=coeff

def multiply():
    global polynome
    name1= raw_input('Polynom name 1?')
    name2= raw_input('Polynom name 2?')
    pol1= polynome[name1]
    pol2 =polynome[name2]
    # perform here the multiplication logic. pol3 = pol1 * pol2

    print pol3
    name3 = raw_input('Give a name for the result..')
    polynome[name3]=pol3


def add():
    pass


# and now ... the menu

menu=['init': initPolynom, 'multiply': multiply, 'add': add]
for item in menu.keys():
    print item
choice = raw_input('your choice')
if menu.has_key(choice):
    menu[choice]()





Julieta Rangel wrote:

>  If I want to write a program that multiplies polynomials, just to show
>  you how illiterate I am at computer programming, this is what I would
>  do: I would need the user to enter the amount of polynomials that will
>  be multiplying.  Lets say the user wants to multiply two polynomials.
>  Once the user enters the amount of polynomials that will be
>  multiplying, the computer would have to ask the degree of the
>  polynomials, say the first polynomial is of third degree and the
>  second is a second degree polynomial (2x^3 + x^2 + 3x + 2) * (x^2 +
>  1)Once the person enters the degree of the polynomials, the computer
>  would have to ask the coefficient of each of the terms of the
>  polynomials,  in this case the computer would have to ask the user to
>  enter the coefficient of  x^3, x^2, x, and c and then the coefficients
>  of the second polynomial.  Should I have the computer create two lists
>  for each polynomial?  In one list I would store all the coefficients
>  and in another the exponents of the expression.
> 
> 
>  One list is enough (just the coeff): coeff[0]  is coeff for exp. 0,
>  etc...
> 
> 
>  I'm assuming that if I have two lists for each polynomial, I could do
>  the operations required.  Based on the polynomials I have, the lists
>  of coefficients would look like (L1) [2,1,3,2] and (L2)[1,0,1] and my
>  lists of exponents would look like (L 3) [3,2,1,0] and (L 4)[2,1,0]. I
>  would then have the first element in L1 times each element in L2, so
>  that I get list 5 [2,0,2]and 1st element in L3 + each element in L4,
>  so that I get list 6 [5,4,3].  Then I would have the 2nd element in L1
>  times each element in L2 so that I get another list [1,0,1] and also
>  have the 2nd element in L3 + each element in L4, so that I get
>  [4,3,2].  This would go on for each element and I would end up with 4
>  more lists [3,0,3], [3,2,1], [2,0,2], [2,1,0].  I would then take the
>  numbers from my lists and have the computer write the coefficients
>  along with the exponents:  2x^5 + 0x^4 + 2x^3 + x^4
>  +0x^3+x^2+3x^3+0x^2 +3x+ 2x^2+0x+2.    I would then have to get rid of
>  those terms with zero coefficients and combine like terms.  Is this
>  crazy or what?  How could I accomplish this?  Like I told you before,
>  this is all new to me, but I'm really interested in finding out how
>  this complex task can be accomplished in Python.  Can you
>  help? Julieta
> 
> 
>  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>  _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist -
>  Tutor@[...].org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor

--
Benoit Dupire
Graduate Student
----------------
I'd like to buy a new Boomerang. How can i get rid of the old one?



_______________________________________________
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@[...].org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor