Article View: comp.theory
Article #2077Re: Modulus (Re: hashing function for strings)
From: Robert D. Silverman
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1990 15:27
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1990 15:27
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1449 bytes
In article <12099@goofy.megatest.UUCP> djones@megatest.UUCP (Dave Jones) writes:
:From article <Er$cfg@cs.psu.edu>, by flee@shire.cs.psu.edu (Felix Lee):
:> Dave Jones <djones@megatest.UUCP> wrote:
:>>I differ. The first of these, -5 div 3 == -1 is wrong.
:>
:> The contrary view is that abs(a/b) != abs(-a/b) is strange. It
:> depends on what you're doing. I have no problems with either stance.
:
Sigh. Don't people learn about functions in school anymore?
The mapping 5 div 3 -- > 1 is a function. It is the floor function
of the quotient. Why on earth SHOULD one expect that for some function f
abs(f(a,b)) = abs(f(-a,b))?????
It would be the same as expecting f(a,b) = -f(-a,b). This simply is not
true of all functions.
It is not strange. It is simply people who know very little mathematics
shooting their mouth off.
--
Bob Silverman
#include <std.disclaimer>
Internet: bs@linus.mitre.org; UUCP: {decvax,philabs}!linus!bs
Mitre Corporation, Bedford, MA 01730
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!spdcc!merk!alliant!linus!bs From: bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) Newsgroups: comp.theory,comp.misc,comp.lang.misc Subject: Re: Modulus (Re: hashing function for strings) Message-ID: <98399@linus.UUCP> Date: 22 Feb 90 15:27:32 GMT References: <Er$cfg@cs.psu.edu> <12099@goofy.megatest.UUCP> Reply-To: bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA Lines: 28