5 ms·

naming things is hard is one of the cultural difference between a computer-first logical mindset contrasted with the mathematics-first mindset the mathematics

naming things is hard is one of the cultural difference between a computer-first logical mindset contrasted with the mathematics-first mindset the mathematics first mentality does not properly recognize the importance and the difficulty of having good names for things, whereas the computological view recognizes both: the importance and the difficulty

thfuran 3y ago
How many mathematicians do you know? All the mathematicians I know are interested in both notational and linguistic clarity.
- ysofunny 3y ago
  lucky you, all the mathematics proessors I've had scarcely know how to work a computer another cultural difference is the kind of homework they hand out; the difference boils down to whether you hand over a printed (or printable) proof checked by reading through it, or a runnable program or script checked by running it
  - smabie 3y ago
    What does this have to do with naming things
chatmasta 3y ago
Insofar as naming things is basically applied category theory, I'd trust a mathematician to name a set of products more tersely and understandably than I would an English major.
- ysofunny 3y ago
  I'm running a contest in my head: "which academic discipline can transfer more information with less text" so far it's a close race between philosophers and mathematicians. I'll take your comment as a vote in favor of mathematicians
  - chatmasta 3y ago
    I don't think philosophers should even be in the running for this title. They write way too many words when few do trick.
    - ysofunny 3y ago
      but talking is part of the contest (I should not have said it was about "text"; nonetheless academia still maintains an oral tradition in teaching and thesis defenses) so while written philosophy is verbose, philosophers talking can "transfer" a lot of "meaning" with short sentence whereas mathematicians will likely need to talk for a very long time for what they can write down in a short terse equation
    - thfuran 3y ago
      Who do the few words trick? Why do the philosophers wait for that before writing their many words?
  - sirsinsalot 3y ago
    Classical musicians. Lots of information with very few symbols nevermind text.
- iopq 3y ago
  A math major named this monitor: https://www.viewsonic.com/eu/products/sheet/VX2758-2KP-MHD https://www.viewsonic.com/eu/products/sheet/VX2758-2KP-MHD
  - yakshaving_jgt 3y ago
    …I don't understand? VX2758-2KP-MHD is a fairly commonly used word in the Polish language.
    - sirsinsalot 3y ago
      It is even my surname!
  - chatmasta 3y ago
    It's unique and easily searchable when I want documentation specific to that product. And when deciding which monitor to buy, I can focus on comparing the technical specifications rather than relying on some heuristics based on how the name "feels" to me.
    - iopq 3y ago
      I would rather name it the 2020-27in-QHD-IPS-144Hz
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
pitherpather 3y ago
> naming things is hard Of tangential interest: I recently heard that Faraday, while discovering new electromagnetic phenomenon, then turned to either a linguist or classicist for help in assigning/inventing terms for them. (I cannot find a link for this just now, so consider this heresay.)

thfuran 3y ago

How many mathematicians do you know? All the mathematicians I know are interested in both notational and linguistic clarity.

ysofunny 3y ago
lucky you, all the mathematics proessors I've had scarcely know how to work a computer another cultural difference is the kind of homework they hand out; the difference boils down to whether you hand over a printed (or printable) proof checked by reading through it, or a runnable program or script checked by running it
- smabie 3y ago
  What does this have to do with naming things

chatmasta 3y ago

Insofar as naming things is basically applied category theory, I'd trust a mathematician to name a set of products more tersely and understandably than I would an English major.

ysofunny 3y ago
I'm running a contest in my head: "which academic discipline can transfer more information with less text" so far it's a close race between philosophers and mathematicians. I'll take your comment as a vote in favor of mathematicians
- chatmasta 3y ago
  I don't think philosophers should even be in the running for this title. They write way too many words when few do trick.
  - ysofunny 3y ago
    but talking is part of the contest (I should not have said it was about "text"; nonetheless academia still maintains an oral tradition in teaching and thesis defenses) so while written philosophy is verbose, philosophers talking can "transfer" a lot of "meaning" with short sentence whereas mathematicians will likely need to talk for a very long time for what they can write down in a short terse equation
  - thfuran 3y ago
    Who do the few words trick? Why do the philosophers wait for that before writing their many words?
- sirsinsalot 3y ago
  Classical musicians. Lots of information with very few symbols nevermind text.
iopq 3y ago
A math major named this monitor: https://www.viewsonic.com/eu/products/sheet/VX2758-2KP-MHD https://www.viewsonic.com/eu/products/sheet/VX2758-2KP-MHD
- yakshaving_jgt 3y ago
  …I don't understand? VX2758-2KP-MHD is a fairly commonly used word in the Polish language.
  - sirsinsalot 3y ago
    It is even my surname!
- chatmasta 3y ago
  It's unique and easily searchable when I want documentation specific to that product. And when deciding which monitor to buy, I can focus on comparing the technical specifications rather than relying on some heuristics based on how the name "feels" to me.
  - iopq 3y ago
    I would rather name it the 2020-27in-QHD-IPS-144Hz

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

pitherpather 3y ago

> naming things is hard Of tangential interest: I recently heard that Faraday, while discovering new electromagnetic phenomenon, then turned to either a linguist or classicist for help in assigning/inventing terms for them. (I cannot find a link for this just now, so consider this heresay.)