4 ms·

I really want to say that I hate this, but I'm sure it was invented for a reason. And as someone who used to write half a dozen indices on tensors in general r

by hbrav 5y ago

I really want to say that I hate this, but I'm sure it was invented for a reason. And as someone who used to write half a dozen indices on tensors in general relativity problems, I should probably not be so quick to judge.

_Microft 5y ago
I had commented here before but removed the comment for this reason. It said "And I thought I had seen it all while still doing physics and math". I think we just feel like people who are unfamiliar with math notation when they see a physics paper. It works for physicists - and well - but that does not mean that it is not absolutely inscrutable to someone who comes from a different field. Now for once we are the ones coming from a different field.
- azalemeth 5y ago
  That is largely why I posted it! ;-). I came across a question on the TeX stack exchange about typesetting the -| subscript, and wondered where on earth it came from...
  - _Microft 5y ago
    Funny that you mention TeX because I had wondered whether I could have rendered that correctly in my mind if I had only seen the math mode source of it.
genedan 5y ago
It's the same reason other notations get invented, it makes calculating things and communicating concepts regarding insurance products faster and easier. One pain the ass I have though is needing to install the actuarial symbol LaTeX package for various software I use and write. I got it working with stuff like Sphinx and Anki. Things like communicating over bulletin boards is still very challenging if the site does not support custom notation: https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/actuarialsymbol/actuarialsymbol.pdf https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/actuaria...
AQuantized 5y ago
Some seems a bit like Dirac notation with more horizontal lines. Seems overly complex for what it represents, however. They're not representing complex conjugates or integrals.
- hbrav 5y ago
  Well, interest rates have a bit of complication. There's at least 4 things they're a function of: * Time you're looking to borrow / lend at. * Duration of the loan. * Period that the rate is in. * Compounding frequency. e.g. you'd want to specify something like "The 10 year interest rate on 2021-09-22, in percent per year, continuously compounded".

by hbrav 5y ago

_Microft 5y ago

I had commented here before but removed the comment for this reason. It said "And I thought I had seen it all while still doing physics and math". I think we just feel like people who are unfamiliar with math notation when they see a physics paper. It works for physicists - and well - but that does not mean that it is not absolutely inscrutable to someone who comes from a different field. Now for once we are the ones coming from a different field.

azalemeth 5y ago
That is largely why I posted it! ;-). I came across a question on the TeX stack exchange about typesetting the -| subscript, and wondered where on earth it came from...
- _Microft 5y ago
  Funny that you mention TeX because I had wondered whether I could have rendered that correctly in my mind if I had only seen the math mode source of it.

genedan 5y ago

It's the same reason other notations get invented, it makes calculating things and communicating concepts regarding insurance products faster and easier. One pain the ass I have though is needing to install the actuarial symbol LaTeX package for various software I use and write. I got it working with stuff like Sphinx and Anki. Things like communicating over bulletin boards is still very challenging if the site does not support custom notation: https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/actuarialsymbol/actuarialsymbol.pdf https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/actuaria...

AQuantized 5y ago

Some seems a bit like Dirac notation with more horizontal lines. Seems overly complex for what it represents, however. They're not representing complex conjugates or integrals.

hbrav 5y ago
Well, interest rates have a bit of complication. There's at least 4 things they're a function of: * Time you're looking to borrow / lend at. * Duration of the loan. * Period that the rate is in. * Compounding frequency. e.g. you'd want to specify something like "The 10 year interest rate on 2021-09-22, in percent per year, continuously compounded".