2 ms·

Not this crap again. The notation is the way it is because it works for mathematicians. Works well. It's not that complicated, but it does take some time. Jus

• jandrese 10y ago
  I've always viewed it kind of like minimized and obfuscated source code. If you took a program and replaced all of the variables with single (greek) letters and created custom notation for every type of function you would get something that looks a lot like mathematical notation. People can certainly learn it, but it's hard to argue that it isn't a barrier to entry and has no doubt helped to turn many students off from mathematics. I mean the primary reason a lot of our notation looks the way it does is so that it can be written compactly (paper was expensive) using quill pens. Is it so crazy to consider a world where mathematical language is more self documenting?
  • htns 10y ago
    It's not just math, but every other field as well. Notation has only become more succinct as the price of paper fell, so it's really programming that's held back by legacy limitations and ASCII.
    • imtringued 10y ago
      Even in latex or scala you're going to write out the symbol name anyway, for the writer of the symbol there is no significant advantage over raw ascii. Unfamilar readers will have to spend time understand the notation instead of the underlying concept. Familar readers however do get a moderate increase in readability. Generally in tech we have a lot of domain specific knowledge which means you will find yourself far more often in the position of the writer or unfamilar reader than the familar reader.