Pablo_Stafforini comments on Rationality Quotes July 2014 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: VAuroch 06 July 2014 06:51AM

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Comment author: Pablo_Stafforini 07 July 2014 06:18:59PM *  5 points [-]

Among the worst of barbarisms is that of introducing symbols which are quite new in mathematical, but perfectly understood in common, language. Writers have borrowed from the Germans the abbreviation n! to signify 1.2.3…(n-1).n, which gives their pages the appearance of expressing surprise and admiration that 2, 3, 4 &c. should be found in mathematical results.

Augustus De Morgan, The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, London, 1842, vol. 23, p. 444

EDIT: Do the downvotes come from people not getting the fact that this was supposed to be humorous, or from people not sharing my sense of humor?

Comment author: RichardKennaway 07 July 2014 06:53:42PM 7 points [-]

Shall we then call groups, gillygangs, and categories, fenhews?

Comment author: IlyaShpitser 07 July 2014 07:27:58PM *  10 points [-]

What's worse is the converse -- where common language users attempt to redefine a precise term for their own purposes. Mathematicians aren't confused by 'perfect numbers,' but I don't even know anymore what people mean around here when they use the B word. Maybe nothing interesting?

Comment author: Vulture 23 July 2014 07:53:18PM 2 points [-]

Okay, this is probably a stupid question but: What's the B word?

Comment author: IlyaShpitser 23 July 2014 08:13:52PM 4 points [-]

"Bayesian."

Comment author: dthunt 23 July 2014 11:26:54PM 1 point [-]

Care to share some hypothetical examples of irritating uses of the B word?

Comment author: Vulture 23 July 2014 10:06:26PM 0 points [-]

Ah. Of course.

Comment author: Stabilizer 07 July 2014 09:01:05PM 6 points [-]

Notation is like an unruly child. If it's to be any real help at all, you kind of can't help but abuse it.

-Philosophy Bro

Comment author: lmm 18 July 2014 08:52:29PM 2 points [-]

I did not suspect humour; if I had then I would have downvoted.

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