[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: [more absurd]
From: |
Uwe Brauer |
Subject: |
Re: [more absurd] |
Date: |
Mon, 04 Jul 2022 09:42:01 +0200 |
User-agent: |
Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/29.0.50 (gnu/linux) |
> In some sense that's defendable (that what could call natural numbers is
> a cultural question or historical, like looking at what Peano did nor
> did not define).
> On the other hand, one normally does not just deals with the numbers as
> such, one does something with it (like comparing them or calculating
> with them). If one takes the reservoir of numbers (in decimal notation,
> {0,1,2,3 .....} indeed it is irrelelvant where to start, 0,1, or
> 23. Also if one does nothing else than comparing them (that would be
> considering them as "ordinals", one has one single smallest number, and
> again it's it's irrelevant if that's ``called'' nor notated $0$, "zero"
> or "1", or "23".
> Now, if one starts doing simple calculations (addition, multiplication),
> the natural numbers including 0 is simply more "elegant" or ``richer''
> than without. One has laws like n+0 = n, n*0=0 (one then says, 0 is a
> neutral element wrt. +, there is terminology for all than, and it's
> simply that N with 0 has nicer ``algebraic'' characteristics than
> without. It's quite analogous to the choice between defining lists as to
> include the empty list '() as a ``natural'' list, or insist on that
> ``natural'' lists must have 1 or more elements.
> Foundational folks can elaborate on that analogy between lists and nats,
> but as you say, in both cases they favor to include 0 to nats and the
> empty list to lists (and there are more examples) and it's favored for
> good reasons (at least to them).
That is the first time I remember that on this list, questions of the
foundation of mathematics are discussed 😉
Back to the point, maybe I am too conservative, but I would include 0
within the natural numbers, and the example I started with, needs to
cover that case (student marks range between 0 to 10 both included), so
sorting should work (for me) in that case.
I don't see, so far any benefit for not considering 0 in that sorting
process.
--
I strongly condemn Putin's war of aggression against the Ukraine.
I support to deliver weapons to Ukraine's military.
I support the ban of Russia from SWIFT.
I support the EU membership of the Ukraine.
smime.p7s
Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature
- Re: [more absurd] (was: org-table-sort-lines (numerically) leaves 0 separated), (continued)
- Re: [more absurd] (was: org-table-sort-lines (numerically) leaves 0 separated), Bruno Barbier, 2022/07/03
- Re: [more absurd], Uwe Brauer, 2022/07/03
- Re: [more absurd], Bruno Barbier, 2022/07/03
- Re: [more absurd], Uwe Brauer, 2022/07/03
- Re: [more absurd], Bruno Barbier, 2022/07/03
- Re: [more absurd], Uwe Brauer, 2022/07/03
- Re: [more absurd], tomas, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd], Uwe Brauer, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd], tomas, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd], Martin Steffen, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd],
Uwe Brauer <=
- Re: [more absurd], tomas, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd], Uwe Brauer, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd], tomas, 2022/07/04
- Re: [more absurd], Martin Steffen, 2022/07/04