Re: [lojban] Using Lojban in 'very' defined contexts (eg. maths)

[Escape Landsome <escaaape@gmail.com>]

This discussion about 11 and 12 is a diversion from the main subject.

The main topic has to do with the way we represent numbers.

Numbers can work either as a MNEMONIC (in which case, one-two-three is
just the same kind of thing as A-B-C, foo-bar-foobar, or A-3-foobar)
or as a QUANTITY

The important thing with QUANTITY is that they are the compound of a
NUMBER with a MAGNITUDE, that is, in two thousands, it's either 2000
either 2 x (unit = a thousand).

This has to do with what the French call "chiffres significatifs"
(meaningful digits ?)

In the number 2700, 2 and 7 are meaningful digits, but 7 is less
meaningful than 2, because it imports some precision whereas 2
indicates the big number.

The 0s are not meaningful at all, as can be seen if we get another
unit in base 10 : 2700 = 27 x 100 = 2,7 x 10^3, and so on.

In the process of MEANING in a QUANTITY, it is mandatory to
distinguish meaningful numbers from meaningless ones.   Speaking of
2300 as 2 thousands 3 hundreds carries the meaning that it is in fact
2 x 10^3 + 3 x 10^2, which does not exist in the lojbanic way of
numerating...

This is important, because 2000 + 1000 can be viewed either as 2000 +
1000 or as 2 thousands + 1 thousand, which is isomorphic to 2 apples +
1 apple

QUANTITIES are the converse form of QUALITY, that is, 2100 come
naturally with "apples" or "dollars" or "Newtons"...   And in the
concept of Quality, the unit takes place, thus : "kilo-", "Mega-",
"Giga-", "Tera-" which are just another way to say powers of tens.

This is not required at all for MNEMONIC.  The name of a room, of a
computer, of a login, or even of a year, is a mnemonic, and thus, can
be registered through a simple sequence of digits, --- which
QUANTITIES are not fit for.

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