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Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/'
From: |
Daniel Brockman |
Subject: |
Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/' |
Date: |
Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:00:48 +0200 |
User-agent: |
Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.92 (gnu/linux) |
Christian Schlauer <address@hidden> writes:
> I don't have to think about such things /at all/ in /all
> other programs/ I use, because they use the common syntax,
> and I don't see the benefit of Emacs having its own rules.
Well, Emacs is better than all other programs in _many_ ways. :-)
> What do you win with that convenient behaviour compared to that it
> confuses people that also use other, more common spreadsheets [...]?
Apart from saving keystrokes, we'll provide good notation
that lets users type mathematical expressions involving
fractions more like the way they normally think about them.
There is a reason why mathematicians write
A B
---
C D
instead of
A B / (C D).
Stefan's suggestion that `A / B C' and `A / B * C' mean
different things is interesting, however.
>> (You could make the same argument for `+' and `-' --- i.e.,
>> that `A-B+C' should mean `A-(B+C)'. However, this is not as
>> natural because one usually does not think of sums as units.
>> Writing `A-B-C' is completely natural, but `A/B/C' is not
>> completely natural --- in fact, it is a little confusing.)
>
> Here I don't follow you -- except for that you can write `A/B/C' in
> Calc or any other software, and you will get the same result
> *everywhere*, even in Calc. (But I wouldn't write it that way either.)
I was just pointing out that `/' and `-' are different beasts
(anticipating an argument that they should work analoguously).
>> I think this is good notation, but I also think that it
>> would be a good idea to warn the user and make sure that
>> they know what they are doing when entering such things.
>
> I fully agree with Stefan:
>
> | In any case, I still haven't heard any concrete reason
> | why the non-standard behavior of calc is preferred to
> | the more common behavior.
I have presented at least one concrete reason. (See above.)
> | Neither is perfect because there is no such thing,
There is such a thing as `better', though.
> | but one of them is sufficiently surprising to deserve
> | big warnings in the Calc doc and the Org doc, whereas
> | the other would be "business as usual".
Granted.
I think the feature is worth the warnings.
--
Daniel Brockman <address@hidden>
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', (continued)
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Christian Schlauer, 2007/04/26
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Jay Belanger, 2007/04/26
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Davis Herring, 2007/04/26
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Jay Belanger, 2007/04/17
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Christian Schlauer, 2007/04/18
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Daniel Brockman, 2007/04/18
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Christian Schlauer, 2007/04/22
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/',
Daniel Brockman <=
- RE: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Drew Adams, 2007/04/19
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', David Kastrup, 2007/04/19
- RE: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Drew Adams, 2007/04/19
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', David Kastrup, 2007/04/19
- Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Richard Stallman, 2007/04/16
Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/', Randal L. Schwartz, 2007/04/17