Re: [ANN] Lua 5.3.1 (rc1) now available

[Rena <hyperhacker@...>]

On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 4:28 PM, Coda Highland <chighland@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 1:24 PM, Nagaev Boris <bnagaev@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 7:09 PM, Coda Highland <chighland@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 11:59 AM, Nagaev Boris <bnagaev@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 2:53 PM, Coda Highland <chighland@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 6:51 AM, Roberto Ierusalimschy
>>>>> <roberto@inf.puc-rio.br> wrote:
>>>>>>> There seems to have been a general search-and-replace of "numeric"
>>>>>>> by "numerical" except in "alphanumeric" and os.setlocale.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Personally I preferred it as it was.  The two words are nowadays completely
>>>>>>> synonymous.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Anyone else has strong preferences about that?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -- Roberto
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> *raises hand* I think "numeric" is definitely the preferred form here.
>>>>> While the two words may be near-synonymous by a dictionary definition,
>>>>> the common usage is different.
>>>>>
>>>>> The term "numeric" is most frequently used to describe things that
>>>>> CONSIST of numbers, while the term "numerical" is most frequently used
>>>>> to describe things that USE numbers. For example, a "numeric value" is
>>>>> the result of an arithmetic expression, and a "numeric field" can
>>>>> contain a number, but a "numerical method" employs a series of
>>>>> computed number values to approximate a result that is difficult to
>>>>> evaluate directly and "numerical reasoning" describes one's ability to
>>>>> derive meaning from a set of numbers.
>>>>>
>>>>> /s/ Adam
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for the explanation!
>>>>
>>>> There are same 2 words in Russian:
>>>> 1) числовой - numeric
>>>> состоит из чисел -  consists of numbers
>>>> Example: числовая переменная - numeric variable
>>>> 2) численный - numerical
>>>> работает с числами - uses numbers
>>>> Example: численные методы - numerical methods
>>>>
>>>> What about word "numeral"?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>> Boris Nagaev
>>>>
>>>
>>> What ABOUT "numeral"? It means a symbol representing a digit or number
>>> as a noun, and it means pertaining to denoting a number as an
>>> adjective. In both cases it's about how a number is written, rather
>>> than how it's handled.
>>>
>>> /s/ Adam
>>>
>>
>> Thank you! In Russian equivalent noun is "число". Maybe the closest
>> Russian adjective is "цифровой" (literally "digital").
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Boris Nagaev
>>
>
> "Digit" is probably closer than "digital" at least for the noun sense.
> But technically the word "one" is a numeral even though it's not a
> digit -- it's a written representation of a number.
>
> /s/ Adam
>

My understanding as a native English speaker has been:

numeric = consisting entirely of numbers ("a numeric ID")
numerical = involving numbers ("some numerical process")
numeral = the written form of a single digit (e.g. 1 or one)
digital = technically means numerical, but more commonly taken to mean
"associated with computers"
digit = the symbols used to represent numbers (i.e. the symbols 0, 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), though it's also valid to refer to the digits
of non-written numbers, e.g. "the third digit of my secret code is 4"
(and this example phrase also implies that said code is numeric, else
you'd say "third character" or (not really correctly) "third letter")
digit also = finger or thumb, but this is less common

Anyway, getting off topic now, but I hope that clears it up.

-- 
Sent from my Game Boy.