Symbolic toolbox not simplifying adequately

I'm using MATLAB Live Editor along with the symbolic toolbox. The following expression is not getting simplified. Any fixes?

I've tried using simplify to no avail.

Thanks,

Mohit.

Answer 1

[madhan ravi]

syms alpha F R
simplify((3*F*R^2*alpha)/64 - 3*R*sqrt(F^2*R^2*alpha^2)/64,...
    'IgnoreAnalyticConstraints', true)

[Walter Roberson]

Right. The two parts are not the same if some of the values are negative.

[Mohit Kumar]

Ah of course! MATLAB doesn't recognise that the values are purely real. Thanks!

[madhan ravi]

MATLAB doesn’t have “Mind Reading Toolbox” ;)

[Walter Roberson]

real is not enough: consider negative real numbers.

You can add assumptions to symbols such as

syms alpha positive
syms R
assume(R>=0)

[Mohit Kumar]

Right, understood. Thanks guys!

[Sariñana Aarón]

Great, thanks!