Lua and numbers

[Gavin Wraith <gavin@...>]

== Teaching maths to the kids ==

I note that numbers have been a popular topic recently in
the Luasphere. As a mathematician I have definite opinions
on this. I am aware that the man-in-the-street, when
his attention is forced reluctantly to the matter, will
claim that there is only one sort of number, or that, at
most, number-systems form a hierarchy with integers at the bottom
(for counting discrete quantities)  and real numbers at the top
(for measuring continuous quantities). Scripting languages, in their
desire to keep things simple for the m-i-t-s go with coercion
and absence of types. Every programmer knows that numbers are
typed and that coercion is a crowd-pleasing fudge. Among 
mathematicians type theory has become much more popular during
the last half-century. Haskell is more to their taste. 

But Lua and Haskell are very different. I see one as a duchess - 
an imposing, well-educated lady but somewhat unapproachable. The
other is a pretty and cheerful barmaid, with no social pretension but 
more intelligence than most of her clients perceive. Which is which
you can decide for yourselves - but which would you employ as governess
to your children?
 
-- 
Gavin Wraith (gavin@wra1th.plus.com)
Home page: http://www.wra1th.plus.com/