Message-Id: <199509242115.RAA26425@locke.ccil.org>
Date:         Sun, 24 Sep 1995 16:54:45 EDT
Reply-To: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Sender: Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Subject:      Re: direction, dimension
To: John Cowan <cowan@LOCKE.CCIL.ORG>
Status: OR

And:
> That's right. But the sagging can be in one or both dimensions. The
> shape of the sag can be like half a sphere or it can be like half
> a cylinder. (I don't see that it depends on the object's symmetry;
> a square of corrugated cardboard would tend to sag "hemicylindrically".)

Yes, so does a sheet of paper, but the axis of the cylinder can be
any direction along the plane, if only one at a time. Which direction
is the sheet of paper tinsa in?

> > I'm still not sure what are the three things that are the only
> > dimensions of three-dimensional objects that don't have well
> > defined length, width and thickness.
>
> It can happen that there are suoremei such that you can't distinguish
> one member from another. Take the earth's orbit of the sun, or its
> rotation around its axis - you can tell how many days and years pass,
> but not where each one starts and ends (unless you arbitrarily choose
> a delimiting point (midnight, Jan 1st)).

I'm not sure what you mean here. {djedi} and {nanca} are defined as
"x1 is x2 days/years in duration" which makes sense. The equivalent
for the way {cimde} is defined would be "x1 is a day of x2". That was
my original point. I would understand "x1 is x2 in dimension", where
x2 is a number. I'm not sure about there being exactly two things
that are dimensions of something.

> Is it therefore wrong to say {ci da cimde lo bolci}? I don't know.

Me neither.

> Maybe {li ci memcimde lo bolci} would somehow be more meaningful?

If it means "x1 is the dimension of x2", where x1 is a number, that
is meaningful to me. But that leaves unexplained the meaning of {cimde}.

> I don't know how much an expression like {ci da} relies on
> individuability. But at any rate, whichever locution is appropriate
> for cimde & bolci is also appropriate for {djedi} and {nanca} (or
> related concepts denoting a 24 hour and 365.x day period).

What expression do you have in mind for {djedi} and {nanca}?
If you mean something like {la 1995nanc cu djedi li 365} then there
is no problem.

Jorge