Re: Results of Poll by Email No. 27

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Robert B Wilson <han_solo55@J...> wrote:

 > well, with kontoko logic, every statement is sort of true and false at
 > the same time... i'm not sure exactly how it works because my kinsi
 > rorotan informant keeps switching to kontoko to describe it...

Hehe...  quantum logic?  Sounds a bit like stochastics to
me...  you assign an event a certain "trueness" (probability)
which assumes the eigenvalue 0 or 1 if you make spot checks
(measurements)...



 > btw, i have a problem with the kontoko programming language i'm working
 > on (kontoko math allows division by 0):
 > 0/0={0,1} (actually it's not really that simple, 0/0 isn't considered to
 > have two values, but one that is 0 and 1 at the same time (this type of
 > value is called called a _luatkarno_ [4M?@skar\no]))
 >
 > 5*0/0={0,1},{0,5}

I don't get it.  If 0/0 = {0,1}, shouldn't 5*0/0 = {0,5}?
What does the comma between the braces mean?



 > 2*5*0/0={0,1},{0,10}
 > 1+5*0/0={0,1},{1,6}

Hunh?  Is that (1+5)*0/0 or 1+(5*0/0)?  In the latter
case, I'd just expect {1,6}...  again, what's the
first part of the result supposed to mean?



 > 1/0=1+0/0={0,1},{1,2}

Wait a second...  1/0 = (1+0)/0, certainly, but is
1/0 = 1+(0/0)?  I don't see why it should...



 > {0,1}/{0,1}={0,0}=0

Eh?  Shouldn't that end up as 1?



 > {0,5}/{0,1}=5

That's inconsistent with {0,1}/{0,1}=0.



 > {0,10}/{0,1}=10
 > {1,6}/{0,1}=6
 > {1,2}-{0,1}={1,1}=1

That's a bit problematic...

        0 = 0
    ==> y * 0 = x * 0                   | /0
    ==> y * {0,1} = x * {0,1}
    ==> {0,y} = {0,x}                   | /{0,1}
    ==> {0,y} / {0,1} = {0,x} / {0,1}
    ==> y = x

Since x and y were arbitrary, x = y for all x, y.

There's a reason why we don't divide by zero, you know. ;-)
Anyway, if you want to assign a value to 1/0, better use
infinity.  It makes more sense, seeing how 1/x -> inf for
x -> 0.  (Incidentally, that goes for positive as well as
negative approaches to 0, so inf = -inf.)  Just don't allow
things like 0/0, inf-inf, inf/inf, 0*inf or such be
evaluated without deeper thought.  That will only ride you
into contradictions.



 > any ideas how i can get a computer to do this sort of thing?

Use an object class for your numbers, and define methods
for all operations you'd like to be able to do.  However,
your set of rules had better be complete and consistent
for that to work...  =P



-- Christian Thalmann