Subject: Re: [lojban] 'irrational' numbers

From: John Cowan <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 20:24:37 -0400 (EDT)

And Rosta scripsit:

> 1. As I understand it, when numbers from -infinity to +infinity
> [I can't remember what they're called: real? natural?]

Context says you mean the real numbers. The natural numbers are
0, 1, 2, 3, ... (some definitions omit 0).

> can't be 
> expressed as ratios, yet we want to refer to them, we name
> them, as with e, pi and phi, for example. I'm wondering what
> Lojban does. On the hand it could refer to the number by
> means of a cmene or lo+brivla, but can such ordinary sumti
> be used wherever numbers can? (E.g. in mekso.)

Pi has its own cmavo, pai. For the others, youc an
say "mo'e la xxx.", where "mo'e" converts a sumti
to a math operand.

> 2. What does "LI X" mean, where X is something other than a PA?

Following "li" (or its fraternal twin "mo'e") there must be a
mathematical expression, so only mekso words are allowed there.
However, one can convert a sumti to an operand, as above,
or a selbri to an operator with "na'u" (x1 is the result,
x2 etc. are the operands).

-- 
John Cowan [email-masked]
One art/there is/no less/no more/All things/to do/with sparks/galore
--Douglas Hofstadter