[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- >Since I'm currently working in statistics and probability... In that case, I completely agree with you on exactness whenever possible (depending on the computation and distribution involved). But those situations

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://page.axiom-developer.org/zope/mathaction/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- I am proposing to keep 'random()' only for finite sets. In this case it should return a random element uniformly chosen from all elements. For infinite sets, we have - or should have - functions whi

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- >random() has meaning only if I specify a distribution. True (but that's a bit arrogant? :-). So the flaw is not in 'random()', but in the documentation because the distribution is not given. I never said that the

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- I disagree: - 'random()' has meaning only if I specify a distribution. If no distribution is specified, usually the uniform distribution is taken. There is no uniform distribution on the integers, nor on th

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function] Using Grep here are all the lines involving random()

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- You are right, 'random()' is not implementd or specified in 'Float' (it should!) and the above three categories are the only ones Hyperdoc shows. But 'random()' for 'Float' is available in almost any computation so

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- Using browse I found that 'random()' is implemented only for three types: - 'QuotientFieldCategory' if has 'IntegerNumberSystem' - 'IntegerNumberSystem' - 'Finite' I think the first two should go away, since,

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- ??changed: -Are you serious? random() is a categorical specification and it is not possible to be more specific without knowing the domain. It is certainly useful in creating derived random functions that are mor

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- Are you serious? random() is a categorical specification and it is not possible to be more specific without knowing the domain. It is certainly useful in creating derived random functions that are more meaningful

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function]

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- ??changed: -After a grep I found the definition for 'random()$INT' in interp/spad.boot.pamphlet: - -(defun |random| () (random (expt 2 26))) After a grep I found the definition for 'random()$INT' in interp/spad.bo

[Axiom-developer] [#227 'random()$Integer' is a strange function] (nouveau)

Changes http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/227RandomIntegerIsAStrangeFunction/diff -- Currently there is a function 'random()' for 'IntegerNumberSystem', which is documented to return a random number:: random : () -> % ++ random() creates a random element. Of course, this is really a hal