Subscripting (was: Base change notation)

[franktaw at netscape.net]

Touching on just a couple of small points, the usual convention with 
the underscore is that only the minimum is considered to be subscripted 
- a single variable, number, or parenthesized expression.  So a_i+1 is 
(a_i)+1, not a_(i+1).  I would expect the same to apply here.

As for parens vs. braces, I think you can use either.  The implication, 
inherited (I believe) from Tex, is that parens would be part of the 
formula as it would be formatted for display, while the braces are just 
to show the extent of the subscripting.  E.g., a_(i+1) represents

a
  (i+1)

while a_{i+1} represents

a
  i+1

Since we're just presenting formulas in the OEIS, not formatting them 
for display, this distinction doesn't really matter to us.  So again, 
use either one.  (This applies to superscripts with ^, too.)

Franklin T. Adams-Watters


-----Original Message-----
From: Marc LeBrun <mlb at well.com>

2. Use parens () instead of the more esoteric braces {} which are 
harder to type and easier to misread.

3. To reduce clutter and aid parsing and searching, consistently drop 
unneeded parens; otherwise use them for clarity in the usual way, eg 
11_2 instead of 11_(2), n_2->4 for A000695, n_2->(x+1) etc.