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The Wikipedia article someone else posted already seems to disagree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_function https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_function
by diarrhea 6y ago
The Wikipedia article someone else posted already seems to disagree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_function https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_function. This confuses me.
- TeMPOraL 6y agoThe article actually agrees. > In mathematics, the term linear function refers to two distinct but related notions (...) [proceeds to specify them using incomprehensible math words] GNU Units documentation uses the second notion, common with linear algebra (and thus arguably more common in any computing) - the notion that calls y=ax a linear function, and y=ax+b an affine function.
- tait 6y agoSo, rather than calling it non-linear, which is clearly somewhat confusing, perhaps it would be more clear to state that it handles affine functions like F to C...?
- TeMPOraL 6y agoPerhaps. That's what I myself did when adding handling for affine unit conversions in a project I worked on.
- zeroimpl 6y agoAgreed. Why they wasting our time pointing out it’s “non-linear” when this statement is only true for some definitions of linear? Just pick a non-ambiguous word, or add an asterisk and footnote.