Return-Path: <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
Received: from kantti.helsinki.fi by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi  with smtp
	(Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #1) id m0rn6Pu-00007ZC; Fri, 10 Mar 95 17:15 EET
Received: from fiport.funet.fi (fiport.funet.fi [128.214.109.150]) by kantti.helsinki.fi (8.6.10+Emil1.1/8.6.5) with ESMTP id RAA26965 for <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>; Fri, 10 Mar 1995 17:15:49 +0200
Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (MAILER@SEARN)
 by FIPORT.FUNET.FI (PMDF V4.3-13 #2494)
 id <01HNZ4FB561S002E9C@FIPORT.FUNET.FI>; Fri, 10 Mar 1995 15:11:47 +0200 (EET)
Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin LISTSERV@SEARN)
 by SEARN.SUNET.SE (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 3324; Fri,
 10 Mar 1995 16:12:03 +0100
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 10:09:22 -0500
From: Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>
Subject: Re: Numbers
In-reply-to: <199503100130.AA28961@nfs1.digex.net> from "jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU"
 at Mar 9, 95 02:38:56 pm
Sender: Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
To: Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
Reply-to: Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>
Message-id: <01HNZ4FC3IP2002E9C@FIPORT.FUNET.FI>
X-Envelope-to: veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
X-To:         Lojban List <lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Length: 1783
Lines: 39

la xorxes. cusku di'e
 
> 3- My interpretation of {ji'i} allows to say everything that you can
>    say with the one proposed in the grammar paper, and more.
>    With my interpretation <number>ji'i<number> means a number
>    between those two, or approximately that. So 20ji'i30 would
>    be a number between 20 and 30, but could eventually be 19 or 31,
>    it is approximate, and the difference between the numbers gives
>    an idea of the uncertainty.
>
>    With the interpretation of the paper, 20ji'i30 would be a number
>    between 2010 and 2099, or something like that.
 
More precisely (but not necessarily more accurately), it expresses a random
variable whose range is 2000-2099 and whose measure of central tendency
(exactly which measure is unspecified) is 2030.
 
>    To say that with
>    my interpretation, I would say 2050ji'i or ji'i2050. The
>    uncertainty is given by the last significant (non-zero) digit.
 
But the idea of inserting "ji'i" is precisely to get rid of the ambiguity
(mabla) between significant and non-significant zeros.  What is the meaning
of ji'i2000 in your scheme?  2000-2009, 2000-2099, or 2000-2999?  There's
no way to know.  But with the existing scheme, these three ranges can be
pinned down as 200ji'i0, 20ji'i00, and 2ji'i000.  Furthermore, if the
central-tendency measure is in fact useful, you can give that as well
by saying (e.g.) 200ji'i3, 20j'i44, or 2ji'i123.
 
>    {ji'i} would only say that the total number is not exact, not
>    a particular digit. (The ji'i+ and ji'i- convention for rounding
>    could still be kept.)
 
But the use of inserted ji'i makes so much more flexibility possible.
 
--
John Cowan              sharing account <lojbab@access.digex.net> for now
                e'osai ko sarji la lojban.