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Re: In "square root of -1", should we say "minus 1" or "negative 1"?
Posted:
Dec 6, 2012 12:04 AM
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On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 3:46 PM, Joe Niederberger <niederberger@comcast.net> wrote:
> GS Chandy says:
>>Rather late in the day (I'm sure), I must confess that I do not 'get' what you mean by the 'Martinez road'.
>
> Author of "Negative Math":
> http://www.amazon.com/Negative-Math-Mathematical-Rules-Positively/dp/0691123098
>
> He simply shows that the algebra we learn in school is not the only possibility -- more a philosophical point than practical.
> Regarding the business of why (-) x (-) = (+), the answer in this book is "well, that's a choice, there are other possibilities," and he begins to explore that a bit.
>
If he claims that the system he invents is a ring, then he is not telling the truth. (This means that his system is none of the familiar number systems, all of which are examples of a ring.
In a ring, there is no such choice. Only in a non-ring can there be such a choice.
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