On Fri, Jan 12, 2007 at 08:52:20AM -0800, Kerim Aydin wrote:
> Maud, was this part of Cobalt, if so did you anticipate that
> Index has a common mathematical definition so we can use 754(3)?
Goethe,
This was indeed part of Cobalt, as it turns out, and I believe I earlier
suggested that you had removed it when you repealed Switches. I
apologize for making this suggestion.
I would also like to retract my recent statements putting forward a
position on the Unanimity issue. I need to think about it more.
I'm still trying to trace the history of this particular repeal. I
don't currently remember what I had intended to do with indices. The
word ``index'' does not appear to have a common mathematical definition
as something lying in a total order. Many indices, for example, are
polynomials. While it is true that a monomial order can be defined
for any collection of variables, leading to a linear order on the
associated polynomial ring if the coefficient ring is ordered, there is
not a canonical monomial order. Instead there are usually several
different orders, each good for different uses. The common mathematical
meaning of ``index'' is likely to be something like ``a label in a
classification system''.
--
C. Maud Image (Michael Slone)
At least one out of three Active Noise Agorans disagree.
-- Goethe, in agora-discussion
