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=-5.0 required=3.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,DKIM_SIGNED, DKIM_VALID,DKIM_VALID_AU,FREEMAIL_FORGED_FROMDOMAIN,FREEMAIL_FROM, 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 551571F40E for ; Wed, 3 Aug 2016 20:04:09 +0000 (UTC) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1756518AbcHCUEH (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Aug 2016 16:04:07 -0400 Received: from mail-wm0-f47.google.com ([74.125.82.47]:37891 "EHLO mail-wm0-f47.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1757964AbcHCUEG (ORCPT ); Wed, 3 Aug 2016 16:04:06 -0400 Received: by mail-wm0-f47.google.com with SMTP id o80so351910593wme.1 for ; Wed, 03 Aug 2016 13:04:00 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=S3NDiRdgNc0G0M4MnW31nSkSlGW3tN5GOt3NQaIJc3Q=; b=qQgj0cypJ0iLE7KsRmivPdL2gr5eTwnwFsgZI7uye5SjzQwfjaJ0298z/SmPhixt8o 1Do8WTVnhroyrS3jEhFofpx4f2Vi0gQyJ5xfCLK/wQzzrU1N4DfXq0tUyY3BgSgm35kl Ly1rK4gdkKiL4UJsHrNt8vajF0CSudkiQGLP3WzeVKOZ1mlCuxXkRQRIvALrDEw4kUK9 lmcsSWWpkUVDNqX40Kq+oSGHpXyP6YHFg8aub/ksC9+ThRPUOE7rdenNRjqK7+BGFGyq aHI852IUMe5G8zlpUoiHM3JoCiXvSgtU7x5mRP6nt0nFRC51CfhJcO2tByOewUMJaoJp qsDg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20130820; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=S3NDiRdgNc0G0M4MnW31nSkSlGW3tN5GOt3NQaIJc3Q=; b=S+DeEAIN1JRU+DmVXCajbBDpSCMiwqGPaLPq+PTEqX2+5dr0M9pGLocfhuS7l65kC4 WMTDDStihPVRcN2vlBGRdwN/+fXf1wZqMRFGIKjezG7c2aS/iBI/vWVVkJRzH9b4Z4d4 wl6GoSYqim5YNTOYtuQ1hHg/VmP6i8KdH9r/UyUPGeWi/SfCh7gdWZzcHpk46pGQ35+J N9SLXKk2YUc5jGW3vwwErl6M6ffjEW6q2Vq2SWMDkoQqB+ERl2JY+tKR5CCxccQdk/oC pT1LV2QAb+wceNzTut5k4EEMy863KFPpCAOTzypRdGMPr8VVlA9WiXPtljk7F5vr7b7J L+YA== X-Gm-Message-State: AEkoousEFMW0uR0TJHeDR39v1tlUglSzJP3eBqMxIJ4TkVPubxDdCidwTcaDJgkG4h8NF2YU77OO0YcfVCTM9A== X-Received: by 10.28.153.202 with SMTP id b193mr71647376wme.62.1470254170634; Wed, 03 Aug 2016 12:56:10 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.194.70.167 with HTTP; Wed, 3 Aug 2016 12:56:09 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <20160803191334.jflia6cqxqx2uqjx@sigill.intra.peff.net> References: <579CEF77.9070202@web.de> <20160801164723.mober7em6znt56w4@sigill.intra.peff.net> <20160801211131.6ernsu74ohod2cin@sigill.intra.peff.net> <20160803191334.jflia6cqxqx2uqjx@sigill.intra.peff.net> From: Christian Couder Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 21:56:09 +0200 Message-ID: Subject: Re: [PATCH] pass constants as first argument to st_mult() To: Jeff King Cc: Junio C Hamano , =?UTF-8?Q?Ren=C3=A9_Scharfe?= , Git List Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 9:13 PM, Jeff King wrote: > 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. :) Yeah, I would be tempted to write all the steps too like this: "An apple costs 30 yen and I have 5 of them" means: Cost(1 apple) = 30 cents Cost(5 apples) = 5 * Cost(1 apple) = 5 * 30 cents = 150 cents so it would be more "5x30=150" than "30x5" in this case for me.