Pray how is this debate related to J programming?
On 12/09/2012 09:30 AM, William Tanksley, Jr wrote:
Boyko Bantchev <boyk...@gmail.com> wrote:
William Tanksley, Jr <wtanksle...@gmail.com> wrote:
................
If your post was supposed to somehow disagree with my opinion, then
I don't know how.
"Let me know -- where did you teach that gave you the idea that people
find traditional notation easy?" It's a simple question. The ball's in
your court. You shouldn't be at all hesitant. (Oh, of course, I'm not
asking you for your home address or anything. Physical location is
probably irrelevant, unless the physical location is Lake Wobegon
where all the children are above average.)
All I got from it (apart from your harshly expressed disbelief and
disrespect for the two humble sentences I wrote)
Harsh? Well, that's in the eye of the beholder. No, I don't believe
you; your second statement was just so silly there's no way anyone
with any training at all could say it. Your first statement is
logically possible -- which is why I backed up my statement and asked
you to back up yours. I still don't believe you, but I gave you the
benefit of the doubt. It'd be REALLY easy to allay my doubt -- answer
my question. Truthfully.
is that you and your
schoolmates experienced difficulties with mathematics at school.
While I fully sympathize you, the source of your negative experience
is not at all made clear in your post.
It's your turn to provide concrete facts about your own claims rather
than continuing the armchair psychoanalysis that did fill too much
space in my post. Turnabout's fair play, of course, so I don't blame
you for doing the same thing I did -- except that you only continued
the speculative part of my post, and speculated about me rather than
about yourself.
I also cannot but observe that you don't pay much attention to the
fact that there is difference between elementary school and higher
mathematics, such as abstract algebra.
What makes you say I didn't pay attention? It's right there in my
post. And why is there a harsh difference? Do you think that there's a
solid dividing line somewhere?
Now, there IS a dividing line in mathematics that J cannot cross --
but it's not a line between lower and higher mathematics, or abstract
and concrete. I'll let you point out the dividing line to me, if you
can. I'll give you one hint: in order to point out the dividing line
you'll have to contradict your second statement and admit that the
thing you claimed traditional notation is good for is actually J's
area of greatest strength.
Since when is school algebra
having to deal with function composition expressed as an operator?
That's not part of abstract algebra, of course -- it's part of
computational algebra. It's a necessary notation in order to begin
studying abstract algebra so that the ideas being explored can be
consistently expressed. High schoolers don't have to learn it; but
somewhere along the line somebody will have to learn it -- and more
importantly, also the other twists and turns notation must take.
But the reason I pointed it out is that you made a specific claim that
was easily rebutted.
But we're not supposed to be arguing about what subjects belong in
high school. We're discussing your claim that J notation is inadequate
compared to "traditional notation". I I countered that by pointing out
that J notation covers more of mathematics with a standard notation
than "traditional notation" does. Your response appears to imply that
you only WANT high school math to be covered and it's not fair of me
to add any of the other immensity of math.
Check out Iverson's "Arithmetic" and "Calculus" texts at
http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Books. Just go take a look -- they're
freely downloadable and really worth a scan. At least look at the
tables of contents to see that the topics covered are respectable.
-Wm
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