>From your link I read "In mathematics, a function is a relation between a set of inputs and a set of permissible outputs with the property that each input is related to exactly one output." That is equivalent to the definition of function I also had in mind.
If I invoke a random generator n times I have a relation between i.n and the outputs, so I got a non-deterministic function. In general, any array of items is a function, deterministic or not. So your statement that " anything with non-deterministic results cannot be a function" is not true. QED. R.E. Boss > -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- > Van: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] Namens Raul Miller > Verzonden: maandag 17 december 2012 15:31 > Aan: [email protected] > Onderwerp: Re: [Jgeneral] Power Conjuntion > > It's true for the mathematical meaning of 'function' -- see > http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_(mathematics) for an example of > this kind of thinking. > > That said, you can transform a nondeterministic relationship into a > determistic function by supplying parameters sufficient to represent the > nondetermanism. > > Or, were you speaking of something else? > > -- > Raul > > On Monday, December 17, 2012, R.E. Boss <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- > >> Van: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] Namens Raul Miller > >> Verzonden: zondag 16 december 2012 21:07 > >> Aan: [email protected] > >> Onderwerp: Re: [Jgeneral] Power Conjuntion > >> > >> Actually, anything with non-deterministic results cannot be a > >> function. (...) > >> > > > > > > This is not true. > > > > > > R.E. Boss > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
