3 ms·
Constantly wondering if people mean `or' or `xor' (I mean xor)
by andreyf 18y ago
Constantly wondering if people mean `or' or `xor' (I mean xor)
- paulgb 18y ago"Lunch specials include salad or fries" "Great, I'll have both!"
- nihilocrat 18y agoI find it's most often people say "or" when they mean xor, and "and/or" when they mean or. So perhaps we should start saying either "or" or "ior" (inexclusive or).
- tlrobinson 18y agoThe "and/or" thing actually sort of makes sense if you take "or" to mean "xor", since (A XOR B) OR (A AND B) equals (A OR B)
- smanek 18y agoSo, slash is really 'or'? Oh, my head.
- tlrobinson 18y agoenglish logic ------- ----- and AND or XOR / OR Actually, since (A XOR B) and (A AND B) are mutually exclusive, (A XOR B) XOR (A AND B) also equals (A OR B), so "/" could be "XOR" too.
- lunchbox 18y agoRelated: when people ask me if I'd like "A or B" I wonder if people mean "A || B", to which I'd reply with true/false, or "max(A, B)", to which I'd reply with A (if I have higher preference for A) or B (if I have higher preference for B). Here are two unambiguous examples: "Are you a US citizen or permanent resident? Yes [ ] No [ ]" versus: "Would you like coffee or tea?" In some settings, when they ask "A or B", it's hard to know which of the following set are valid answers: {{}, {A}, {B}, {A,B}}