Re: [office-formula] period

[Andreas J Guelzow <aguelzow@math.concordia.ab.ca>]

Patrick,

On Tue, 2008-10-07 at 09:25 -0400, Patrick Durusau wrote:

> OK, I'll buy that. But that means that the general term "period" should 
> be defined as a "time period" plus whatever specialization is required 
> for a particular function.
> 
> In other words, I agree with you that "time period" is insufficient but 
> that means that definitions such as "period The period of interest" are 
> fatally defective.
> 
> It should be: "the time period of interest" (assuming interest is 
> defined elsewhere).
> 
> I am creating a list of definitions that use the same term, such a 
> "period" on both sides of the definition. That is what drew my attention 
> to it initially. Defining a term using the term is, err, problematic.

Patrick,

I see what you are trying to do, but if we want to define words like
interest aren't we going to end up writing an economy textbook?

If we define a function say 
AMORDEGRC
then it doesn't really require us to know what "period" is. It is simply
the value plugged into the formula wherever "period" appears. While
there is an interpretation that gives this a financial meaning for the
purposes of defining AMORDEGRC the formula given in the OpenFormula
should be sufficient.

(Now I am not sure that the current version is sufficient since the
OpenFormula specs fails to say that AMORDEGRC returns DA(p).)

In other words:

if we define a function
LUGNUT (Number egg; Integer colour)

by saying that
----------------------------------------------
egg         is the egg of the individual
colour      is her subjectively perceived colour

then LUGNUT returns the value  egg^colour
----------------------------------------------

then there is no need to define what "egg" and "colour" really means
since the true definition is that LUGNUT returns the value  egg^colour
So some people may be using it for exponentiation...

> 
> Hope you are having a great day!

And you too!

Andreas

> 
-- 
"Liberty consists less in acting according to
one's own pleasure, than in not being subject 
to the will and pleasure of other people. It 
consists also in our not subjecting the wills 
of other people to our own."  Rousseau


Prof. Dr. Andreas J. Guelzow
Dept. of Mathematical & Computing Sciences
Concordia University College of Alberta