Synopsis:
I would like to request namespace for a module "Math::MapNumbers". This
module maps a repeating series of numbers onto a non-repeating series of
numbers for the purpose of organizing data (see below for detailed
information).
I have done a fairly thorough search of the existing modules, and I have not
found a module with similar functions. Note that although a group of Map::
modules has been proposed, the Math::MapNumbers module does not overlap
their functionality.
If you know of a module that provides the functionality I am proposing, or
if you think that it would be better integrated into an existing module,
please let me know. Also, if you think that there would be a better name
for this module (see the other names I have considered below), please
suggest it.
Detailed Information:
The Math::MapNumbers module maps a repeating series of numbers (e.g., 1, 2,
3) onto a non-repeating series of numbers (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, ...). Mapping the repeating series onto a non-repeating series allows
you to organize your numeric data into groups of a certain size that follow
a repeating pattern.
This is accomplished through a set of functions using the modulo (%)
operator with various offset arguments. The functions are pretty general,
and something most mathematically-oriented people could come up with on
their own, but I use them so frequently that I have packaged them into a
module.
I can provide detailed examples of why you might want to do such a mapping,
but a basic illustration is that you might want to count by 3's (i.e., 1, 2,
3, 1, 2, 3, ...) but your data uses an ordinal index of 0 (i.e., 0, 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, ...) and you want '0' in your data to correspond to '1' in the
count-by-3 series, so that your data maps as
Your Data Counting By 3
0 1
1 2
2 3
3 1
4 2
5 3
6 1
7 2
If your application calls for it, you can get fancy and count by 3's using
'2, 3, 4' (or some other series), and align the series to any value in your
original data (which does not need to be continuous) such as
Your Data Counting By 3 Using '2, 3, 4'
70 2
71 3
72 4
73 2
74 3
75 4
76 2
77 3
80 3
83 3
Proposed Module Name:
Right now, my proposed name for this module is Math::MapNumbers. Other
names that I have considered are:
Math::RepeatSeries
Math::MapSeries
Math::SeriesMap
Math::NumberMap
Math::MapModulo
Math::ModuloMap
If you like one of these names better, or if you can think of a more
appropriate name yourself, please let me know.
Thanks and Best Regards,
Ernie
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
