In article <0078bbfb-5dfc-48fc-af1a-69de3cf15...@b1g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>, Xah Lee <xah...@gmail.com> wrote: >New Science Discovery: Perl Idiots Remain Idiots After A Decade! > >A excerpt from the new book =E3=80=88Modern Perl=E3=80=89, just published, = >chapter 4 >on =E2=80=9COperators=E2=80=9D. Quote: > >=C2=ABThe associativity of an operator governs whether it evaluates from >left to right or right to left. Addition is left associative, such >that 2 + 3 + 4 evaluates 2 + 3 first, then adds 4 to the result. >Exponentiation is right associative, such that 2 ** 3 ** 4 evaluates 3 >** 4 first, then raises 2 to the 81st power. =C2=BB > >LOL. Looks like the perl folks haven't changed. Fundamentals of >serious math got botched so badly.
You're confused. Associativity of operators is defined in mathematics. (The same concept may be used in programming). "left-associativity" and "right-associativity" are computer languages concept and their definitions are not from mathematics. Interestingly in mathematics associative means that it doesn't matter whether you use (a.b).c or a.(b.c). Using xxx-associativity to indicate that it *does* matter is a bit perverse, but the Perl people are not to blame if they use a term in their usual sense. Groetjes Albert -- -- Albert van der Horst, UTRECHT,THE NETHERLANDS Economic growth -- being exponential -- ultimately falters. albert@spe&ar&c.xs4all.nl &=n http://home.hccnet.nl/a.w.m.van.der.horst -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
