From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.0 (2014-02-07) on dcvr.yhbt.net X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-ASN: AS31976 209.132.180.0/23 X-Spam-Status: No, score=-4.8 required=3.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_HI,RP_MATCHES_RCVD shortcircuit=no autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.0 Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [209.132.180.67]) by dcvr.yhbt.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id DEBF61F40E for ; Wed, 3 Aug 2016 19:14:30 +0000 (UTC) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1758025AbcHCTO0 (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Aug 2016 15:14:26 -0400 Received: from cloud.peff.net ([50.56.180.127]:54046 "HELO cloud.peff.net" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S1758066AbcHCTOZ (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Aug 2016 15:14:25 -0400 Received: (qmail 12810 invoked by uid 102); 3 Aug 2016 19:13:38 -0000 Received: from Unknown (HELO peff.net) (10.0.1.2) by cloud.peff.net (qpsmtpd/0.84) with SMTP; Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:13:38 -0400 Received: (qmail 4398 invoked by uid 107); 3 Aug 2016 19:14:05 -0000 Received: from sigill.intra.peff.net (HELO sigill.intra.peff.net) (10.0.0.7) by peff.net (qpsmtpd/0.84) with SMTP; Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:14:05 -0400 Received: by sigill.intra.peff.net (sSMTP sendmail emulation); Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:13:34 -0400 Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 15:13:34 -0400 From: Jeff King To: Junio C Hamano Cc: =?utf-8?B?UmVuw6k=?= Scharfe , Git List Subject: Re: [PATCH] pass constants as first argument to st_mult() Message-ID: <20160803191334.jflia6cqxqx2uqjx@sigill.intra.peff.net> References: <579CEF77.9070202@web.de> <20160801164723.mober7em6znt56w4@sigill.intra.peff.net> <20160801211131.6ernsu74ohod2cin@sigill.intra.peff.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org On Mon, Aug 01, 2016 at 03:31:45PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote: > Jeff King writes: > > >> *1* I have a slight suspicion that this is cultural, i.e. how > >> arithmetic is taught in grade schools. When an apple costs 30 yen > >> and I have 5 of them, I was taught to multiply 30x5 to arrive at > >> 150, not 5x30=150, and I am guessing that is because the former > >> matches the natural order of these two numbers (cost, quantity) in > >> the language I was taught. > > > > You might be right. I was trying to figure out what is "natural" for me > > in these cases, but after thinking about it for 2 minutes, I'm pretty > > sure anything resembling "natural" is lost as I try to out-think myself. :) > > Do native English speakers (or more in general Europeans) think of > the apple example more like "5 apples, 30 cents each", and do 5x30? I think in my head I rewrite any multiplication like "N of M" as having "N" as the smaller number. I.e., it is conceptually simpler to me to count five 30's, then 30 five's (even though I do not implement it in my head as a sequence of additions, of course; I'd probably do that particular case as "half of ten 30's"). I have no idea if that's cultural or not, though. I'm pretty sure "half of ten 30's" was not taught in schools. All I remember of grade school multiplication is them insisting we write down all of our steps, no matter how trivial the problem would be to do in our heads. :) -Peff