doc/reference.rst

   1
   2 Module Reference
   3 ================
   4
   5 Symbols
   6 -------
   7
   8 *Symbols* are the basic components to build expressions and constraints.
   9 They correspond to mathematical variables.
  10
  11 .. class:: Symbol(name)
  12
  13     Return a symbol with the name string given in argument.
  14     Alternatively, the function :func:`symbols` allows to create several symbols at once.
  15     Symbols are instances of class :class:`LinExpr` and inherit its functionalities.
  16
  17     >>> x = Symbol('x')
  18     >>> x
  19     x
  20
  21     Two instances of :class:`Symbol` are equal if they have the same name.
  22
  23     .. attribute:: name
  24
  25         The name of the symbol.
  26
  27     .. method:: asdummy()
  28
  29         Return a new :class:`Dummy` symbol instance with the same name.
  30
  31     .. method:: sortkey()
  32
  33         Return a sorting key for the symbol.
  34         It is useful to sort a list of symbols in a consistent order, as comparison functions are overridden (see the documentation of class :class:`LinExpr`).
  35
  36         >>> sort(symbols, key=Symbol.sortkey)
  37
  38
  39 .. function:: symbols(names)
  40
  41     This function returns a tuple of symbols whose names are taken from a comma or whitespace delimited string, or a sequence of strings.
  42     It is useful to define several symbols at once.
  43
  44     >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
  45     >>> x, y = symbols('x, y')
  46     >>> x, y = symbols(['x', 'y'])
  47
  48
  49 Sometimes you need to have a unique symbol. For example, you might need a temporary one in some calculation, which is going to be substituted for something else at the end anyway.
  50 This is achieved using ``Dummy('x')``.
  51
  52 .. class:: Dummy(name=None)
  53
  54     A variation of :class:`Symbol` in which all symbols are unique and identified by an internal count index.
  55     If a name is not supplied then a string value of the count index will be used.
  56     This is useful when a unique, temporary variable is needed and the name of the variable used in the expression is not important.
  57
  58     Unlike :class:`Symbol`, :class:`Dummy` instances with the same name are not equal:
  59
  60     >>> x = Symbol('x')
  61     >>> x1, x2 = Dummy('x'), Dummy('x')
  62     >>> x == x1
  63     False
  64     >>> x1 == x2
  65     False
  66     >>> x1 == x1
  67     True
  68
  69
  70 Linear Expressions
  71 ------------------
  72
  73 A *linear expression* consists of a list of coefficient-variable pairs that capture the linear terms, plus a constant term.
  74 Linear expressions are used to build constraints. They are temporary objects that typically have short lifespans.
  75
  76 Linear expressions are generally built using overloaded operators.
  77 For example, if ``x`` is a :class:`Symbol`, then ``x + 1`` is an instance of :class:`LinExpr`.
  78
  79 .. class:: LinExpr(coefficients=None, constant=0)
  80               LinExpr(string)
  81
  82     Return a linear expression from a dictionary or a sequence, that maps symbols to their coefficients, and a constant term.
  83     The coefficients and the constant term must be rational numbers.
  84
  85     For example, the linear expression ``x + 2y + 1`` can be constructed using one of the following instructions:
  86
  87     >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
  88     >>> LinExpr({x: 1, y: 2}, 1)
  89     >>> LinExpr([(x, 1), (y, 2)], 1)
  90
  91     However, it may be easier to use overloaded operators:
  92
  93     >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
  94     >>> x + 2*y + 1
  95
  96     Alternatively, linear expressions can be constructed from a string:
  97
  98     >>> LinExpr('x + 2*y + 1')
  99
 100     :class:`LinExpr` instances are hashable, and should be treated as immutable.
 101
 102     A linear expression with a single symbol of coefficient 1 and no constant term is automatically subclassed as a :class:`Symbol` instance.
 103     A linear expression with no symbol, only a constant term, is automatically subclassed as a :class:`Rational` instance.
 104
 105     .. method:: coefficient(symbol)
 106                 __getitem__(symbol)
 107
 108         Return the coefficient value of the given symbol, or ``0`` if the symbol does not appear in the expression.
 109
 110     .. method:: coefficients()
 111
 112         Iterate over the pairs ``(symbol, value)`` of linear terms in the expression.
 113         The constant term is ignored.
 114
 115     .. attribute:: constant
 116
 117         The constant term of the expression.
 118
 119     .. attribute:: symbols
 120
 121         The tuple of symbols present in the expression, sorted according to :meth:`Symbol.sortkey`.
 122
 123     .. attribute:: dimension
 124
 125         The dimension of the expression, i.e. the number of symbols present in it.
 126
 127     .. method:: isconstant()
 128
 129         Return ``True`` if the expression only consists of a constant term.
 130         In this case, it is a :class:`Rational` instance.
 131
 132     .. method:: issymbol()
 133
 134         Return ``True`` if an expression only consists of a symbol with coefficient ``1``.
 135         In this case, it is a :class:`Symbol` instance.
 136
 137     .. method:: values()
 138
 139         Iterate over the coefficient values in the expression, and the constant term.
 140
 141     .. method:: __add__(expr)
 142
 143         Return the sum of two linear expressions.
 144
 145     .. method:: __sub__(expr)
 146
 147         Return the difference between two linear expressions.
 148
 149     .. method:: __mul__(value)
 150
 151         Return the product of the linear expression by a rational.
 152
 153     .. method:: __truediv__(value)
 154
 155         Return the quotient of the linear expression by a rational.
 156
 157     .. method:: __eq__(expr)
 158
 159         Test whether two linear expressions are equal.
 160
 161     As explained below, it is possible to create polyhedra from linear expressions using comparison methods.
 162
 163     .. method:: __lt__(expr)
 164                 __le__(expr)
 165                 __ge__(expr)
 166                 __gt__(expr)
 167
 168         Create a new :class:`Polyhedron` instance whose unique constraint is the comparison between two linear expressions.
 169         As an alternative, functions :func:`Lt`, :func:`Le`, :func:`Ge` and :func:`Gt` can be used.
 170
 171         >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
 172         >>> x < y
 173         Le(x - y + 1, 0)
 174
 175
 176     .. method:: scaleint()
 177
 178         Return the expression multiplied by its lowest common denominator to make all values integer.
 179
 180     .. method:: subs(symbol, expression)
 181                 subs(pairs)
 182
 183         Substitute the given symbol by an expression and return the resulting expression.
 184         Raise :exc:`TypeError` if the resulting expression is not linear.
 185
 186         >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
 187         >>> e = x + 2*y + 1
 188         >>> e.subs(y, x - 1)
 189         3*x - 1
 190
 191         To perform multiple substitutions at once, pass a sequence or a dictionary of ``(old, new)`` pairs to ``subs``.
 192
 193         >>> e.subs({x: y, y: x})
 194         2*x + y + 1
 195
 196     .. classmethod:: fromstring(string)
 197
 198         Create an expression from a string.
 199         Raise :exc:`SyntaxError` if the string is not properly formatted.
 200
 201     There are also methods to convert linear expressions to and from `SymPy <http://sympy.org>`_ expressions:
 202
 203     .. classmethod:: fromsympy(expr)
 204
 205         Create a linear expression from a :mod:`sympy` expression.
 206         Raise :exc:`TypeError` is the :mod:`sympy` expression is not linear.
 207
 208     .. method:: tosympy()
 209
 210         Convert the linear expression to a sympy expression.
 211
 212
 213 Apart from :mod:`Symbol`, a particular case of linear expressions are rational values, i.e. linear expressions consisting only of a constant term, with no symbol.
 214 They are implemented by the :class:`Rational` class, that inherits from both :class:`LinExpr` and :class:`fractions.Fraction` classes.
 215
 216 .. class:: Rational(numerator, denominator=1)
 217               Rational(string)
 218
 219     The first version requires that the *numerator* and *denominator* are instances of :class:`numbers.Rational` and returns a new :class:`Rational` instance with the value ``numerator/denominator``.
 220     If the denominator is ``0``, it raises a :exc:`ZeroDivisionError`.
 221     The other version of the constructor expects a string.
 222     The usual form for this instance is::
 223
 224         [sign] numerator ['/' denominator]
 225
 226     where the optional ``sign`` may be either '+' or '-' and the ``numerator`` and ``denominator`` (if present) are strings of decimal digits.
 227
 228     See the documentation of :class:`fractions.Fraction` for more information and examples.
 229
 230 Polyhedra
 231 ---------
 232
 233 A *convex polyhedron* (or simply "polyhedron") is the space defined by a system of linear equalities and inequalities.
 234 This space can be unbounded.
 235
 236 .. class:: Polyhedron(equalities, inequalities)
 237               Polyhedron(string)
 238               Polyhedron(geometric object)
 239
 240     Return a polyhedron from two sequences of linear expressions: *equalities* is a list of expressions equal to ``0``, and *inequalities* is a list of expressions greater or equal to ``0``.
 241     For example, the polyhedron ``0 <= x <= 2, 0 <= y <= 2`` can be constructed with:
 242
 243     >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
 244     >>> square = Polyhedron([], [x, 2 - x, y, 2 - y])
 245
 246     It may be easier to use comparison operators :meth:`LinExpr.__lt__`, :meth:`LinExpr.__le__`, :meth:`LinExpr.__ge__`, :meth:`LinExpr.__gt__`, or functions :func:`Lt`, :func:`Le`, :func:`Eq`, :func:`Ge` and :func:`Gt`, using one of the following instructions:
 247
 248     >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
 249     >>> square = (0 <= x) & (x <= 2) & (0 <= y) & (y <= 2)
 250     >>> square = Le(0, x, 2) & Le(0, y, 2)
 251
 252     It is also possible to build a polyhedron from a string.
 253
 254     >>> square = Polyhedron('0 <= x <= 2, 0 <= y <= 2')
 255
 256     Finally, a polyhedron can be constructed from a :class:`GeometricObject` instance, calling the :meth:`GeometricObject.aspolyedron` method.
 257     This way, it is possible to compute the polyhedral hull of a :class:`Domain` instance, i.e., the convex hull of two polyhedra:
 258
 259     >>> square = Polyhedron('0 <= x <= 2, 0 <= y <= 2')
 260     >>> square2 = Polyhedron('2 <= x <= 4, 2 <= y <= 4')
 261     >>> Polyhedron(square | square2)
 262
 263     A polyhedron is a :class:`Domain` instance, and, therefore, inherits the functionalities of this class.
 264     It is also a :class:`GeometricObject` instance.
 265
 266     .. attribute:: equalities
 267
 268         The tuple of equalities.
 269         This is a list of :class:`LinExpr` instances that are equal to ``0`` in the polyhedron.
 270
 271     .. attribute:: inequalities
 272
 273         The tuple of inequalities.
 274         This is a list of :class:`LinExpr` instances that are greater or equal to ``0`` in the polyhedron.
 275
 276     .. attribute:: constraints
 277
 278         The tuple of constraints, i.e., equalities and inequalities.
 279         This is semantically equivalent to: ``equalities + inequalities``.
 280
 281     .. method:: widen(polyhedron)
 282
 283         Compute the *standard widening* of two polyhedra, à la Halbwachs.
 284
 285
 286 .. data:: Empty
 287
 288     The empty polyhedron, whose set of constraints is not satisfiable.
 289
 290 .. data:: Universe
 291
 292     The universe polyhedron, whose set of constraints is always satisfiable, i.e. is empty.
 293
 294 Domains
 295 -------
 296
 297 A *domain* is a union of polyhedra.
 298 Unlike polyhedra, domains allow exact computation of union and complementary operations.
 299
 300 .. class:: Domain(*polyhedra)
 301               Domain(string)
 302               Domain(geometric object)
 303
 304     Return a domain from a sequence of polyhedra.
 305
 306     >>> square = Polyhedron('0 <= x <= 2, 0 <= y <= 2')
 307     >>> square2 = Polyhedron('2 <= x <= 4, 2 <= y <= 4')
 308     >>> dom = Domain([square, square2])
 309
 310     It is also possible to build domains from polyhedra using arithmetic operators :meth:`Domain.__and__`, :meth:`Domain.__or__` or functions :func:`And` and :func:`Or`, using one of the following instructions:
 311
 312     >>> square = Polyhedron('0 <= x <= 2, 0 <= y <= 2')
 313     >>> square2 = Polyhedron('2 <= x <= 4, 2 <= y <= 4')
 314     >>> dom = square | square2
 315     >>> dom = Or(square, square2)
 316
 317     Alternatively, a domain can be built from a string:
 318
 319     >>> dom = Domain('0 <= x <= 2, 0 <= y <= 2; 2 <= x <= 4, 2 <= y <= 4')
 320
 321     Finally, a domain can be built from a :class:`GeometricObject` instance, calling the :meth:`GeometricObject.asdomain` method.
 322
 323     A domain is also a :class:`GeometricObject` instance.
 324     A domain with a unique polyhedron is automatically subclassed as a :class:`Polyhedron` instance.
 325
 326     .. attribute:: polyhedra
 327
 328         The tuple of polyhedra present in the domain.
 329
 330     .. attribute:: symbols
 331
 332         The tuple of symbols present in the domain equations, sorted according to :meth:`Symbol.sortkey`.
 333
 334     .. attribute:: dimension
 335
 336         The dimension of the domain, i.e. the number of symbols present in it.
 337
 338     .. method:: isempty()
 339
 340         Return ``True`` if the domain is empty, that is, equal to :data:`Empty`.
 341
 342     .. method:: __bool__()
 343
 344         Return ``True`` if the domain is non-empty.
 345
 346     .. method:: isuniverse()
 347
 348         Return ``True`` if the domain is universal, that is, equal to :data:`Universe`.
 349
 350     .. method:: isbounded()
 351
 352         Return ``True`` is the domain is bounded.
 353
 354     .. method:: __eq__(domain)
 355
 356         Return ``True`` if two domains are equal.
 357
 358     .. method:: isdisjoint(domain)
 359
 360         Return ``True`` if two domains have a null intersection.
 361
 362     .. method:: issubset(domain)
 363                 __le__(domain)
 364
 365         Report whether another domain contains the domain.
 366
 367     .. method:: __lt__(domain)
 368
 369         Report whether another domain is contained within the domain.
 370
 371     .. method:: complement()
 372                 __invert__()
 373
 374         Return the complementary domain of the domain.
 375
 376     .. method:: make_disjoint()
 377
 378         Return an equivalent domain, whose polyhedra are disjoint.
 379
 380     .. method:: coalesce()
 381
 382         Simplify the representation of the domain by trying to combine pairs of polyhedra into a single polyhedron, and return the resulting domain.
 383
 384     .. method:: detect_equalities()
 385
 386         Simplify the representation of the domain by detecting implicit equalities, and return the resulting domain.
 387
 388     .. method:: remove_redundancies()
 389
 390         Remove redundant constraints in the domain, and return the resulting domain.
 391
 392     .. method:: project(symbols)
 393
 394         Project out the sequence of symbols given in arguments, and return the resulting domain.
 395
 396     .. method:: sample()
 397
 398         Return a sample of the domain, as an integer instance of :class:`Point`.
 399         If the domain is empty, a :exc:`ValueError` exception is raised.
 400
 401     .. method:: intersection(domain[, ...])
 402                 __and__(domain)
 403
 404         Return the intersection of two or more domains as a new domain.
 405         As an alternative, function :func:`And` can be used.
 406
 407     .. method:: union(domain[, ...])
 408                 __or__(domain)
 409                 __add__(domain)
 410
 411         Return the union of two or more domains as a new domain.
 412         As an alternative, function :func:`Or` can be used.
 413
 414     .. method:: difference(domain)
 415                 __sub__(domain)
 416
 417         Return the difference between two domains as a new domain.
 418
 419     .. method:: lexmin()
 420
 421         Return the lexicographic minimum of the elements in the domain.
 422
 423     .. method:: lexmax()
 424
 425         Return the lexicographic maximum of the elements in the domain.
 426
 427     .. method:: vertices()
 428
 429         Return the vertices of the domain, as a list of rational instances of :class:`Point`.
 430
 431     .. method:: points()
 432
 433         Return the integer points of a bounded domain, as a list of integer instances of :class:`Point`.
 434         If the domain is not bounded, a :exc:`ValueError` exception is raised.
 435
 436     .. method:: __contains__(point)
 437
 438         Return ``True`` if the point is contained within the domain.
 439
 440     .. method:: faces()
 441
 442         Return the list of faces of a bounded domain.
 443         Each face is represented by a list of vertices, in the form of rational instances of :class:`Point`.
 444         If the domain is not bounded, a :exc:`ValueError` exception is raised.
 445
 446     .. method:: plot(plot=None, **options)
 447
 448         Plot a 2D or 3D domain using `matplotlib <http://matplotlib.org/>`_.
 449         Draw it to the current *plot* object if present, otherwise create a new one.
 450         *options* are keyword arguments passed to the matplotlib drawing functions, they can be used to set the drawing color for example.
 451         Raise :exc:`ValueError` is the domain is not 2D or 3D.
 452
 453     .. method:: subs(symbol, expression)
 454                 subs(pairs)
 455
 456         Substitute the given symbol by an expression in the domain constraints.
 457         To perform multiple substitutions at once, pass a sequence or a dictionary of ``(old, new)`` pairs to ``subs``.
 458         The syntax of this function is similar to :func:`LinExpr.subs`.
 459
 460     .. classmethod:: fromstring(string)
 461
 462         Create a domain from a string.
 463         Raise :exc:`SyntaxError` if the string is not properly formatted.
 464
 465     There are also methods to convert a domain to and from `SymPy <http://sympy.org>`_ expressions:
 466
 467     .. classmethod:: fromsympy(expr)
 468
 469         Create a domain from a sympy expression.
 470
 471     .. method:: tosympy()
 472
 473         Convert the domain to a sympy expression.
 474
 475
 476 Comparison and Logic Operators
 477 ------------------------------
 478
 479 The following functions create :class:`Polyhedron` or :class:`Domain` instances using the comparisons of two or more :class:`LinExpr` instances:
 480
 481 .. function:: Lt(expr1, expr2[, expr3, ...])
 482
 483     Create the polyhedron with constraints ``expr1 < expr2 < expr3 ...``.
 484
 485 .. function:: Le(expr1, expr2[, expr3, ...])
 486
 487     Create the polyhedron with constraints ``expr1 <= expr2 <= expr3 ...``.
 488
 489 .. function:: Eq(expr1, expr2[, expr3, ...])
 490
 491     Create the polyhedron with constraints ``expr1 == expr2 == expr3 ...``.
 492
 493 .. function:: Ne(expr1, expr2[, expr3, ...])
 494
 495     Create the domain such that ``expr1 != expr2 != expr3 ...``.
 496     The result is a :class:`Domain`, not a :class:`Polyhedron`.
 497
 498 .. function:: Ge(expr1, expr2[, expr3, ...])
 499
 500     Create the polyhedron with constraints ``expr1 >= expr2 >= expr3 ...``.
 501
 502 .. function:: Gt(expr1, expr2[, expr3, ...])
 503
 504     Create the polyhedron with constraints ``expr1 > expr2 > expr3 ...``.
 505
 506 The following functions combine :class:`Polyhedron` or :class:`Domain` instances using logic operators:
 507
 508 .. function:: Or(domain1, domain2[, ...])
 509
 510     Create the union domain of the domains given in arguments.
 511
 512 .. function:: And(domain1, domain2[, ...])
 513
 514     Create the intersection domain of the domains given in arguments.
 515
 516 .. function:: Not(domain)
 517
 518     Create the complementary domain of the domain given in argument.
 519
 520
 521 Geometric Objects
 522 -----------------
 523
 524 .. class:: GeometricObject
 525
 526     :class:`GeometricObject` is an abstract class to represent objects with a geometric representation in space.
 527     Subclasses of :class:`GeometricObject` are :class:`Polyhedron`, :class:`Domain` and :class:`Point`.
 528     The following elements must be provided:
 529
 530     .. attribute:: symbols
 531
 532         The tuple of symbols present in the object expression, sorted according to :class:`Symbol.sortkey()`.
 533
 534     .. attribute:: dimension
 535
 536         The dimension of the object, i.e. the number of symbols present in it.
 537
 538     .. method:: aspolyedron()
 539
 540         Return a :class:`Polyhedron` object that approximates the geometric object.
 541
 542     .. method:: asdomain()
 543
 544         Return a :class:`Domain` object that approximates the geometric object.
 545
 546 .. class:: Point(coordinates)
 547
 548     Create a point from a dictionary or a sequence that maps the symbols to their coordinates.
 549     Coordinates must be rational numbers.
 550
 551     For example, the point ``(x: 1, y: 2)`` can be constructed using one of the following instructions:
 552
 553     >>> x, y = symbols('x y')
 554     >>> p = Point({x: 1, y: 2})
 555     >>> p = Point([(x, 1), (y, 2)])
 556
 557     :class:`Point` instances are hashable and should be treated as immutable.
 558
 559     A point is a :class:`GeometricObject` instance.
 560
 561     .. attribute:: symbols
 562
 563         The tuple of symbols present in the point, sorted according to :class:`Symbol.sortkey()`.
 564
 565     .. attribute:: dimension
 566
 567         The dimension of the point, i.e. the number of symbols present in it.
 568
 569     .. method:: coordinate(symbol)
 570                 __getitem__(symbol)
 571
 572         Return the coordinate value of the given symbol.
 573         Raise :exc:`KeyError` if the symbol is not involved in the point.
 574
 575     .. method:: coordinates()
 576
 577         Iterate over the pairs ``(symbol, value)`` of coordinates in the point.
 578
 579     .. method:: values()
 580
 581         Iterate over the coordinate values in the point.
 582
 583     .. method:: isorigin()
 584
 585         Return ``True`` if all coordinates are ``0``.
 586
 587     .. method:: __bool__()
 588
 589         Return ``True`` if not all coordinates are ``0``.
 590
 591     .. method:: __add__(vector)
 592
 593         Translate the point by a :class:`Vector` object and return the resulting point.
 594
 595     .. method:: __sub__(point)
 596                 __sub__(vector)
 597
 598         The first version substracts a point from another and returns the resulting vector.
 599         The second version translates the point by the opposite vector of *vector* and returns the resulting point.
 600
 601     .. method:: __eq__(point)
 602
 603         Test whether two points are equal.
 604
 605
 606 .. class:: Vector(coordinates)
 607            Vector(point1, point2)
 608
 609     The first version creates a vector from a dictionary or a sequence that maps the symbols to their coordinates, similarly to :meth:`Point`.
 610     The second version creates a vector between two points.
 611
 612     :class:`Vector` instances are hashable and should be treated as immutable.
 613
 614     .. attribute:: symbols
 615
 616         The tuple of symbols present in the point, sorted according to :class:`Symbol.sortkey()`.
 617
 618     .. attribute:: dimension
 619
 620         The dimension of the point, i.e. the number of symbols present in it.
 621
 622     .. method:: coordinate(symbol)
 623                 __getitem__(symbol)
 624
 625         Return the coordinate value of the given symbol.
 626         Raise :exc:`KeyError` if the symbol is not involved in the point.
 627
 628     .. method:: coordinates()
 629
 630         Iterate over the pairs ``(symbol, value)`` of coordinates in the point.
 631
 632     .. method:: values()
 633
 634         Iterate over the coordinate values in the point.
 635
 636     .. method:: isnull()
 637
 638         Return ``True`` if all coordinates are ``0``.
 639
 640     .. method:: __bool__()
 641
 642         Return ``True`` if not all coordinates are ``0``.
 643
 644     .. method:: __add__(point)
 645                 __add__(vector)
 646
 647         The first version translates the point *point* to the vector and returns the resulting point.
 648         The second version adds vector *vector* to the vector and returns the resulting vector.
 649
 650     .. method:: __sub__(point)
 651                 __sub__(vector)
 652
 653         The first version substracts a point from a vector and returns the resulting point.
 654         The second version returns the difference vector between two vectors.
 655
 656     .. method:: __neg__()
 657
 658         Return the opposite vector.
 659
 660     .. method:: __mul__(value)
 661
 662         Multiply the vector by a scalar value and return the resulting vector.
 663
 664     .. method:: __truediv__(value)
 665
 666         Divide the vector by a scalar value and return the resulting vector.
 667
 668     .. method:: __eq__(vector)
 669
 670         Test whether two vectors are equal.
 671
 672     .. method:: angle(vector)
 673
 674         Retrieve the angle required to rotate the vector into the vector passed in argument.
 675         The result is an angle in radians, ranging between ``-pi`` and ``pi``.
 676
 677     .. method:: cross(vector)
 678
 679         Compute the cross product of two 3D vectors.
 680         If either one of the vectors is not three-dimensional, a :exc:`ValueError` exception is raised.
 681
 682     .. method:: dot(vector)
 683
 684         Compute the dot product of two vectors.
 685
 686     .. method:: norm()
 687
 688         Return the norm of the vector.
 689
 690     .. method:: norm2()
 691
 692         Return the squared norm of the vector.
 693
 694     .. method:: asunit()
 695
 696         Return the normalized vector, i.e. the vector of same direction but with norm 1.