Re: choice of character for relational division

"Marshall" <marshall.spight_at_gmail.com> wrote:

[snip]

>So, if you had to choose an ascii character for
>relational division, which one would you use
>and why?

    I would not do so unless the meaning was fairly obvious, and it did not horribly overload the character. Instead, I would pick a three-or-so-letter name. ("mod" is used by some. ALGOL used "DIV" and "REM".)

     "|" is used a lot in one of my computing science classes. "|x|" can mean the absolute value of x, or the size of x. "x|y" means that x divides evenly into y. "|" is also used something like "such that", as in {x | x>0}. I do not like this overloading.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation:

     I have preferences.
     You have biases.
     He/She has prejudices.