Eelco writes: > > The modulus is not the result but one of the arguments: when numbers x > > and y are congruent modulo n (stated in terms of the modulo operation: > > x mod n = y mod n), the modulus is n. A word for x mod n is remainder. > > > > I agree about the obscurity of using the percent sign as the operator. > > > > A quick google suggests that your use of 'modulus' is now popular > > among programmers. Past experience in mathematics newsgroups tells me > > that some mathematicians do not accept the existence of any remainder > > operator at all. Honest. (I see them but I cannot understand them.) > > You are correct; the thing it computes is the remainder, not the > modulus. Nonetheless, 'x modulus y' is how it is put in natural > language, but I suppose math.remainder would be my preferred place to > put this.
I think it's 'x modulo y', which matches 'x and y are congruent modulo z', but now I fear that programming people have been developing a different habit. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
