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In math what you suggest is considered bad practice and there is also a strong reason why. Handwaving that away as "bias" or "history" is extremely rude. Both a
by diffeomorphism 5y ago
In math what you suggest is considered bad practice and there is also a strong reason why. Handwaving that away as "bias" or "history" is extremely rude. Both approaches have their merits and optimize for different uses. This could be an interesting discussion, but you seem uninterested in having one.
- adam_arthur 5y agoI'm open to being convinced! What is the strong reason?
- Quekid5 5y agoNot PP, but I can guess at a few, at least: - It easier to see the 'essence' of an equation/problem when all irrelevant detail is omitted. - Many concepts are so general that you'd need a small essay to have a 'descriptive' name, rather than just, say, x. - Algebraic manipulation often leads to non-intuitive concepts in intermediate calculations, e.g. meter-dollars. It's handy to be able to just call such a thing 'a' (or whatever) if it helps make calculations easier.