Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start From: bc@lnec.pt (Luis Miguel Sequeira) Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1993 07:45:48 +0000 yangboy@math.ntu.edu.tw (Queen Hel) wrote: >>Obviously, I hope there is no misunderstanding between "rules" and >>"formulas". Some people seem to confuse them. I'm not AGAINST rules >>[...] What I'm basically against is a game based solely on formulas and >>more formulas. [...] > > I must register my STRONG disagreement. Basically, "rules" >describe the _behaviour_ of the game under all possible inputs, albeit >sometimes _PROBABILISTICALLY_. Therefore, any rule is, ipso facto, a >formula. Notice "behaviour" includes an order being _rejected_ (that is, >the Rules Class I as someone is trying to partition rules) is simply a >formula that describes IMMATERIAL orders. It is therefore obvious that >rules and formulas are in theory completely synonymous. Notice that it is >not the same as CODE.... the algorithm via which the formula is evaluated >makes no difference to the players and ought to be transparent. What you call a "rule", I call a "formula" :-). It's as simple as that. Thus, on your parser, please make the necessary conversion from "formula" (me) to "rule" (you). You may ask, thus, _what_ is a rule to me. Very simple to explain: a rule is a verbose (and ambiguous) description, not necessary a complete and exaustive one, of _code_ (eg. algorithms, functions, etc.). A formula is a precise description using unambiguous mathematical notation. The major difference is that on formulas (my explanation) one can run a spreadsheet and minimax your move to get an optimal one, whereas on rules (my explanation) you can't. I use the distinction between "formulas" and "rules" exactly to express the above difference between them. - Luis Sequeira _________________________________________________________________________ / / Computer scientists do it byte by byte. _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ We don't ask for miracles to get the job _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ done, we RELY upon them! _/ _/ _/ _/ If the job still isn't done, we'll stick _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ with Emacs instead... bc@lnec.pt Luis Miguel Sequeira Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil Phone 351-1-8482131 Ext. 2752 Centro Informatica/Grupo Sistemas Centrais "Don't call me, I'll call you" Av. Brasil, 101 - 1700 Lisboa, Portugal / _________________________________________________________________________/ Referenced By Up