From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2016 19:49:13 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] pass constants as first argument to st_mult()
Message-ID: <20160803194913.cz6xiai3g5r3sghq@sigill.intra.peff.net>
In-Reply-To: <CAPc5daVABao1UZdPk0BnJNkTtYYV74Tw_0CZ9-uj9sK92h+x7g@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Aug 03, 2016 at 12:41:30PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 12:13 PM, Jeff King <peff@peff.net> wrote:
> > On Mon, Aug 01, 2016 at 03:31:45PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> >
> > I think in my head I rewrite any multiplication like "N of M" as having
> > "N" as the smaller number. I.e., it is conceptually simpler to me to
> > count five 30's, then 30 five's (even though I do not implement it in my
> > head as a sequence of additions, of course; I'd probably do that
> > particular case as "half of ten 30's").
> >
> > I have no idea if that's cultural or not, though.
> 
> Now, when you say "count five 30's", which one do you have
> in mind? 5x30, or 30x5?
> 
> If you meant the former, I think that _is_ cultural. I am pretty
> sure that I was taught in school(s) to read 5x30 as adding 5
> thirty times.

I think I would say "30x5" in that case. But I'm not sure where that
comes from, and I'm not even 100% sure that I would say that (after
thinking about it, it's hard for me to figure out what I would have done
if I _hadn't_ just thought about it).

-Peff