On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 7:24 PM, Dr. David Kirkby <[email protected]> wrote: > On 07/13/10 08:05 AM, William Stein wrote: >> >> On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 7:46 AM, Robert Bradshaw >> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 4:39 AM, Dr. David Kirkby >>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> On 07/ 5/10 06:18 AM, William Stein wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Great idea - you could add an algorithm="axiom" option to sage's >>>>> integrate command. >>>> >>>> Personally, and I am going to dare risk argue with a mathematician, I >>>> would >>>> not have considered Axion an algorithm, but a software package. So >>>> something >>>> like "method=use_axiom" would seem more logical to me. >>> >>> The only argument for "algorithm" is that it's a standard idiom in >>> Sage (though with a greatly generalized meaning). >> >> Additional arguments: >> >> 1. In Python a "method" is a function attached to a class. Thus >> the word "method" is already in common use in exactly this context, >> and using "method=" could cause confusion. > > > 'method' was only meant as an example. 'software' would all seem more > logical than algorithm. > >> 2. In many cases in Sage, the "algorithm=" option is *clearly* >> used to signify a different implementation of a specific algorithm. >> This is common the linear algebra code, where there are multiple >> implementations of distinct recognizably named algorithms, and the >> algorithm= flag helps you switch between them. E.g., >> algorithm="multimodular". > > In such cases, it makes sense to use 'algorithm'. I'm less convinced when > you are calling a software package, and asking it to do the work. > >> 3. The code implemented in Axiom defines an algorithm -- it's "the >> algorithm for symbolic integration as defined by the axiom >> implementation". Likewise for Sympy and Maxima. >> >> William > > I'm a bit less convinced of that myself. I would have thought Maxima uses > specific algorithms, so to refer to maxima as an algorithm is not really > accurate. I personally would have thought refering to Maxima as a software > package is more accurate than an 'algorithm'. >
Whatever Maxima (or Axiom, or whatever) does, it is an implementation of an "algorithm". That algorithm builds on other algorithms. I don't think I'll pursue this thread further, since it is boring to most readers, and hardly counts as sage-support. algorithm="..." -- William -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sage-support URL: http://www.sagemath.org
