4 ms·

f(x + dx) does look more conventional than (f (+ x dx)), but (/ numerator denominator) looks more like the conventional fraction syntax than putting a

by brlewis 10y ago

f(x + dx) does look more conventional than (f (+ x dx)), but (/ numerator denominator) looks more like the conventional fraction syntax than putting a / somewhere in the middle of a line.

Will_Parker 10y ago
I'll give you that but also, ask 100 random people what "3/4" means and what "(/ 3 4)" means.
- klibertp 10y ago
  Are you sure random people are going to recognize "3/4" notation? It could be different for "3 ÷ 4", but I think "3/4" is not widely used outside of programming?
  - archgoon 10y ago
    Have you ever looked at a cookbook? http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/how-to-cook/how-to-cut-down-recipes http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/how-to-cook/how-to-cut-do... Taken a drive? https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4149/5174138836_6603010a7d_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4149/5174138836_6603010a7d_b.j...
    - klibertp 10y ago
      No, I didn't... At least, not in English. Good to know, thanks.
    - int_19h 10y ago
      It is a country-specific convention. What's written as e.g. ½ in US would be more commonly written with a horizontal dividing line in many other places, or simply as 0.5. Similarly, 2.5 instead of 2½ etc.
  - omaranto 10y ago
    It's used outside of programming in, say, mathematics. :)
- brlewis 10y ago
  Yes, I'm sure hardly any would say "three fourths" for (/ 3 4) and a lot of them would for 3/4. (A lot of them might also say "three or four".) Incidentally Scheme syntax recognizes 3/4 as a rational number. It will do rational arithmetic without floating point problems.
- syncsynchalt 10y ago
  Racket (and others?) gives you a sugar of (n . / . d) to infix any two-arg function if that's a stumbling block.
deleted 10y ago
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int_19h 10y ago
I don't know, things like 1/2 are pretty conventional fraction syntax. But if you really wanted to, you could always do the same thing in Python, since newlines are basically just ignored inside parentheses: (numerator / denominator) Or even place / on its own line if so desired.

by brlewis 10y ago

f(x + dx) does look more conventional than (f (+ x dx)), but (/ numerator denominator) looks more like the conventional fraction syntax than putting a / somewhere in the middle of a line.

Will_Parker 10y ago

I'll give you that but also, ask 100 random people what "3/4" means and what "(/ 3 4)" means.

klibertp 10y ago
Are you sure random people are going to recognize "3/4" notation? It could be different for "3 ÷ 4", but I think "3/4" is not widely used outside of programming?
- archgoon 10y ago
  Have you ever looked at a cookbook? http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/how-to-cook/how-to-cut-down-recipes http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/how-to-cook/how-to-cut-do... Taken a drive? https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4149/5174138836_6603010a7d_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4149/5174138836_6603010a7d_b.j...
  - klibertp 10y ago
    No, I didn't... At least, not in English. Good to know, thanks.
  - int_19h 10y ago
    It is a country-specific convention. What's written as e.g. ½ in US would be more commonly written with a horizontal dividing line in many other places, or simply as 0.5. Similarly, 2.5 instead of 2½ etc.
- omaranto 10y ago
  It's used outside of programming in, say, mathematics. :)
brlewis 10y ago
Yes, I'm sure hardly any would say "three fourths" for (/ 3 4) and a lot of them would for 3/4. (A lot of them might also say "three or four".) Incidentally Scheme syntax recognizes 3/4 as a rational number. It will do rational arithmetic without floating point problems.
syncsynchalt 10y ago
Racket (and others?) gives you a sugar of (n . / . d) to infix any two-arg function if that's a stumbling block.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

int_19h 10y ago

I don't know, things like 1/2 are pretty conventional fraction syntax. But if you really wanted to, you could always do the same thing in Python, since newlines are basically just ignored inside parentheses: (numerator / denominator) Or even place / on its own line if so desired.