[pstricks] Native speaker needed

[Dougherty, Michael]

Unfortunately Herbert you'll probably have differing opinions on this, especially since this is an international list, and most of us probably think of ourselves as writers to some extent.  It's a bit like debating the use of the semicolon (;).  I had an editor insist that you talk about "the solution to an equation," where you almost always see "the solution of an equation" elsewhere.  

I disagree with Vince here (not strongly), and am used to a and b being "the coordinates" of the point (a,b), but as mathematicians we often think of (a,b) being a point in R^2, and thus think of (a,b) as being a single entity.  I think the nonmathematician scientist (in the US) would talk of "the coordinates" of the point (a,b), while mathematicians do not worry about thinking of (a,b) as being a single coordinate whose value happens to be in R^2.  The nonmathematician sees two numbers, while the mathematician can see one element of R^2 and does not mind using the singular.  Just my opinion, and opinions will certainly vary from person to person and country to country.  Of course I hope you take my advice ;-) Or take a poll?  (That would be more work than it is worth.)

--Mike D.


-----Original Message-----
From: pstricks-bounces at tug.org on behalf of McGarry Vince
Sent: Sat 8/19/2006 8:40 AM
To: Graphics with PSTricks
Subject: Re: [pstricks] Native speaker needed
 
Herbert,

For the first, "there is a coordinate;" for the second. "there are  
two coordinates."

The ordered pair (3,3) is a coordinate; the ordered pairs (1,1) and  
(3,3) are two coordinates. A coordinate is a set of n real numbers to  
indicate a point in R^n.

But will readers know what you are saying if you use the phrases in  
your email? I would have to say yes. Although not precisely correct,  
I can't image a native speaker not knowing what you mean. My sense of  
it is that your wording is very common and people often refer to the  
individual numbers in the n-tuple as coordinates, using phrases like  
``the coordinates of the point are (3,5)'' when the phrase should be  
``the coordinate of the point is (3,5).''

Vince

On Aug 19, 2006, at 6:03 AM, Herbert Voss wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have \psline(3,3) and \psline(1,1)(3,3)
>
> can I say "there is one pair of coordinates" and in the
> second example "two pairs of coordinates"?
> Or what would you say?
>
> thanks
> Herbert
>
>
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> pstricks mailing list
> pstricks at tug.org
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