Min function returns Min[2.05875,] instead of just 2.05875

I have an matrix "data" with 17x248 real numbers.

When I enter Min[data], I get
Min[2.05875, ] as a result, instead of just the number 2.05875.

This is Mathematica 7.0.1 on Mac OS X.

Why?

How can I get just the number from the result?

TIA

 

This is just a guess, but you may have an invisible character as an
element in your matrix that is being interpreted as a symbol. The
second argument of the Min is in your matrix somewhere. Do a FullForm
on the output to see what the second argument to Min is, then
eliminate it from your matrix.

 

This is precisely the result you get if one of the matrix entries
contains an empty string (""). I'd check my data for this if I were
you.

Cheers -- Sjoerd

 

Non numerical entry after the comma.
-Francesco

 

Hi,

can you explain what the minimum of a set of
vectors with dimension 248 is ?

Or do you mean Min[Flatten[data]] ?

Regards
Jens

 

You typed Min[data,] instead of Min[data].

Remove the comma.

 

I think you have a non-printing character in your matrix.
Min[2,3,4,5,x] reduces to Min[2,x]. But if the "x" was something so
strange that Mathematica did not have a way of printing it, then I think
we would see Min[2,].

If "data" is stored as a list of 17 row, each of which should contain
248 numbers, then look for a row with Length[row] = 249.

 

Hi,
It's hard to see exactly what's going wrong because you have not
included the exact code, but at a guess I'd say there may some
invisible wrapper around the list of numbers, which is preventing Min
evaluating properly.

In general, the behaviour should be as follows:

In[290]:= data = RandomReal[10, {17, 248}];

Min[data]
Out[291]= 0.00017248

Cheers,
Peter.

 

Solution: The matrix had missing values.

This will work in such cases:
Min[Cases[data // Flatten, _?NumericQ]]

Thanks to a helpful person that found this solution.

 

Min flattens lists!

--
Murray Eisenberg
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305