On Nov 18, 9:22 am, Dima Pasechnik <dimp...@gmail.com> wrote: > How different is "rational number"*"finite field element" > from division, which is also a partial operation? > (Well, I admit I don't know Sage's coersion model at all...)
Robert is probably more qualified to explain, but I'll try for now. Both <finite field element> * <rational number> and <finite field element> / <integer> fit the pattern <element of A> <binary operation> <element of B> In order to make sense of this, sage tries to find/construct a "minimal" common parent C into which both A and B coerce. Integers coerce into finite fields; all of them. It's the operation that later fails. Rationals don't coerce into finite fields and that's probably a good thing. How damaging would it be to borrow the same mechanism as scalar multiplication for this, i.e., define a "partial" action of Q on GF(p)? How much would we gain by doing so? If we don't automatically get a "partial" action of Q on GF(p)['x'] and VectorSpace(GF(p),3) it's probably not worth the effort. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sage-devel" group. To post to this group, send email to sage-devel@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sage-devel+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sage-devel?hl=en.
