Avoiding local variable declarations?

[Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch]

Not such illogical crap like
``a = a + 1`` which must be obviously false unless 1 is defined as the
neutral element for the definition of ``+`` here.

I don't quite know what you mean by "neutral element". I think you mean
the identity element […]

I knew I should have looked it up instead of "translating" it from my
mother tongue -- yes I ment "identity element". Sorry for the confusion.

Ciao,
Marc 'BlackJack' Rintch

 

[Arnaud Delobelle]

Not such illogical crap like
``a = a + 1`` which must be obviously false unless 1 is defined as the
neutral element for the definition of ``+`` here.

I don't quite know what you mean by "neutral element". I think you mean
the identity element […]

I knew I should have looked it up instead of "translating" it from my
mother tongue -- yes I ment "identity element". Sorry for the confusion.

Neutral element is correct. But maybe its use is limited to
mathematicians in the english-speaking word.

 

[Gabriel Genellina]

En Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:27:46 -0200, Arnaud Delobelle

On Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:32:35 +0000, Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch wrote:

Not such illogical crap like
``a = a + 1`` which must be obviously false unless 1 is defined as the
neutral element for the definition of ``+`` here.

I don't quite know what you mean by "neutral element". I think you mean
the identity element […]

I knew I should have looked it up instead of "translating" it from my
mother tongue -- yes I ment "identity element". Sorry for the
confusion.

Neutral element is correct. But maybe its use is limited to
mathematicians in the english-speaking word.

In Spanish I've seen "elemento neutro" and "elemento identidad" used
interchangeably.

 

[greg]

Neutral element is correct. But maybe its use is limited to
mathematicians in the english-speaking word.

I've only ever seen "identity element" in English mathematics.
"Neutral element" sounds like something my car's gearbox
might have...

 

[Mark Wooding]

I've only ever seen "identity element" in English mathematics.
"Neutral element" sounds like something my car's gearbox
might have...

I've encountered both. I think `neutral element' is more common when
dealing with the possibility that it might not be unique (in the way
that identity elements are in groups, rings and fields), but that might
just be my misconception.

-- [mdw]

 

[Arnaud Delobelle]

I've only ever seen "identity element" in English mathematics.
"Neutral element" sounds like something my car's gearbox
might have...

I was an academic mathematician for several years (although not a very
good one) and I can assure you that 'neutral element' is correct and
understood. 'Unit element' is another common synonym.

Unfortunately I can't find a reference in one of the few books in
English that I have at home. Lang's "Algebra" does not seem to use the
term and it's the only undergraduate book I've got. Wikipedia and other
internet sources cite 'neutral element' as a synonym to 'identity
element'.