arithmetic language

[desh]

We say "two plus three", but we say "add two and three", and that's "addition". And some of us might've laughed under our breath in middle school at the kids in math class who used "plus" as a verb. Similarly, "two minus three" but "subtract three from two" for "subtraction", "two times three" but "multiply two by/and three" for "multiplication", and so on.

When you're talking sets, what do you do instead? I guess "B intersect C" and "intersect B and C" for "intersection", but what about union? "Then you union B and C" sounds almost as wrong as "Then you times 2 and 3".

Comments

[leftyjew.livejournal.com]

As a computer programmer, I union B and C. Following your pattern, I guess that's called "unionization" :) OR you can "join B and C" or "take the union of B and C". Of course, this is coming from a job where you take about being stateless and stateful, or use "overscore" to mean "not underscored", or use compareTo, malloc and toString as transitive verbs.

[fweebles.livejournal.com]

"Take the union (intersection) of sets A and B".
"Take the complement of set A".

Oh Bachelor of Mathematics, how useful you've become. ;)

As I see it.

[captainjew.livejournal.com]

The problem is that addition, subtraction, et al. are operations to be performed where as union and intersection are subsets rather than something to do.

[ulicqel.livejournal.com]

god damn your all a bunch of dorks! :-D