If true = 1 and false = 0, then what is true + 2? If true is simply
non-zero, then what is true - 1? It seems that it must sometimes be
true and sometimes be false.
===
Gregory Woodhouse
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"It is foolish to answer a question that
you do not understand."
--G. Polya ("How to Solve It")
On Sep 6, 2005, at 11:37 PM, Jim Self wrote:
Gregory wrote:
No, because it has no meaning -- at least in a model theoretic sense.
That seems like an unecessary and silly restriction that applies
only if you use a model
that doesn't allow logical values to be treated as numeric values.
In some models of
logic, truth values range between 0 (false) and 1 (true), like
probabilities.
Meaning is assigned by the people who make the models and by those
who use them.
In MUMPS we have a model of computation that allows any operator to
be applied to any
atomic value. Logical operators return 0 (false) or 1 (true) and
any numeric value other
than 0 is logically the same as 1. That seems very practical,
useful, robust, easy to
understand and remember and work with - important considerations
for a system that handles
extensive and varied user input.
It could (reasonably) be argued that "Colorless green ideas sleep
furiously" has meaning, but it would be incoherent to say the terms
in this sentence could denote anything
overly generalized - counter examples steganography, code phrases.
(just as it is incoherent to say that a number is both even and odd).
Perhaps, but it could be simply mistaken.
Then again, it could be rounding error.
And, of course, most numbers are neither even nor odd. ;)
even(n) ;function - returns true for even numbers
q n#2=0
odd(n) ;function - returns true for odd numbers
q n+1#2=0
evod(n) ;function - returns true if n is even and odd
q $$even(n)&$$odd(n)
What do you get when n=1234567890123456789. ;)
On Sep 6, 2005, at 7:01 PM, Jim Self wrote:
Why do you assert that 1 + true is nonsense? Just because it is not
allowed in some programming languages?
---------------------------------------
Jim Self
Systems Architect, Lead Developer
VMTH Computer Services, UC Davis
(http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/us/jaself)
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