Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!news.glorb.com!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.008 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.98; '*S*': 0.00; 'say,': 0.05; 'element': 0.07; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:set': 0.09; '*do': 0.16; '*only*': 0.16; 'finney': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'rule.': 0.16; 'slave': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'wed,': 0.18; 'trying': 0.19; 'feb': 0.22; 'saying': 0.22; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.23; 'right.': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; "i'm": 0.30; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'relies': 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'subject:numbers': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'subject:the': 0.34; 'subject:with': 0.35; 'common': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'false': 0.36; 'received:com.au': 0.36; 'done': 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'ben': 0.38; 'e.g.': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'that,': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'enough': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'even': 0.60; 'course.': 0.60; 'number,': 0.60; "you've": 0.63; 'real': 0.63; 'natural': 0.68; 'computers': 0.72; '\xe2\x80\x93': 0.77; 'received:125': 0.84 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Ben Finney Subject: Re: Working with the set of real numbers Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 14:45:21 +1100 References: <8e4c1ab1-e65d-483f-ad9d-6933ae2052c3@googlegroups.com> <888bd2fc-54b0-4c46-9d7b-d81d01a78b52@googlegroups.com> <52f59aeb$0$29972$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <7cc8f49d-a4c7-48c2-a0af-ac58c847d794@googlegroups.com> <71e578f8-0d23-4b8e-b9f2-b987bdc9c01d@googlegroups.com> <85r478bv99.fsf_-_@benfinney.id.au> <85ioskbtfm.fsf@benfinney.id.au> <52fc3c7c$0$11128$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: vmx15867.hosting24.com.au X-Public-Key-ID: 0xBD41714B X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 9CFE 12B0 791A 4267 887F 520C B7AC 2E51 BD41 714B X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-gpg.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:SPuZt5gnXDdVMgxalG1K6kqso5Y= X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 31 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1392263135 news.xs4all.nl 2891 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:34806 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:66146 Steven D'Aprano writes: > On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 21:07:04 +1100, Ben Finney wrote: > > > You've done it again: by saying that “computers *do not* work with > > real numbers”, that if I find a real number – e.g. the number 4 – > > your position is that, since it's a real number, computers don't > > work with that number. > > That answer relies on the assumption that "computers do not work with X" > implies: > > for each element x in X: > it is true that "computers do not work with x" > > that is to say, a single counter-example of computers working with an > element of X, even if it is a fluke, is enough to disprove the rule. Right. I'm pointing out that this is a natural interpretation of “computers do not work with X”. That is not the *only* natural interpretation, of course. But it is IMO a common enough interpretation that when trying to communicate clearly, one should re-phrase to avoid that false implication. -- \ “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I | `\ prayed with my legs.” —Frederick Douglass, escaped slave | _o__) | Ben Finney