2 replaced http://stackoverflow.com/ with https://stackoverflow.com/

Some background: Burks, Warren and Wright published a description of simple interpreter for a Logic Machine for unparenthesized Lukasiewicz notation (paper, SO questionSO question, c implementation, postscript implementation) which was heavily cited in Kenneth Iverson's 1962 classic A Programming Language.

Within there is an elegant system of typing by associating integer weight to variables, literals, and functions, which allows a simple max_weight/length test for well-formedness (ready for reduction), as well as a simple formula to convert the weight into the degree or arity of the function. Specifically, variables and literals are given weight=1, and unary functions are given weight=0, and binary functions are given weight=-1. For a function (w<1), its degree d is 1-w.

What I'd like to do, and I'm not sure how to go about it, is to add APL's operator type to the mix. But it would seem that I need a very weird kind of number, that can by simple arithmetic yield the function arity and yield the correct positive (minimum, ie. 1) weight for a complete well-formed formula.

For the extended language, I'm adding integers 0-9 as well as variables a-z, binary + and -, and unary < "box" and > "unbox", and the monadic operator / "reduce". Also, we'll use infix syntax with right-to-left evaluation, like APL.

So for the very simple formula "0+4", we encounter

0  literal, w=1
0+  function, w=-1, sum of weights=0,  function degree=1-w=2
0+4  literal, w=1, sum of weights=1 <--complete wff


Now the problem happens when I try to add an operator, it needs to counterbalance the weight of its associated functions, thus it should be positive, but it shouldn't ever create a condition of "false positive", so it also needs to be further from positive. Perhaps another dimension, or a second field of the type descriptor?

For "+/ab", the sequence of discovery is

+  function, w=-1, function degree=1-w=2
+/  operator w=1??  sum of weights=0
+/a  variable, w=1, sum of weights=1 <-- false positive.
+/ab  variable w=1, sum of weights=2, yet I want this to sum to 1.


Is there a better way that I'm not seeing?

Some background: Burks, Warren and Wright published a description of simple interpreter for a Logic Machine for unparenthesized Lukasiewicz notation (paper, SO question, c implementation, postscript implementation) which was heavily cited in Kenneth Iverson's 1962 classic A Programming Language.

Within there is an elegant system of typing by associating integer weight to variables, literals, and functions, which allows a simple max_weight/length test for well-formedness (ready for reduction), as well as a simple formula to convert the weight into the degree or arity of the function. Specifically, variables and literals are given weight=1, and unary functions are given weight=0, and binary functions are given weight=-1. For a function (w<1), its degree d is 1-w.

What I'd like to do, and I'm not sure how to go about it, is to add APL's operator type to the mix. But it would seem that I need a very weird kind of number, that can by simple arithmetic yield the function arity and yield the correct positive (minimum, ie. 1) weight for a complete well-formed formula.

For the extended language, I'm adding integers 0-9 as well as variables a-z, binary + and -, and unary < "box" and > "unbox", and the monadic operator / "reduce". Also, we'll use infix syntax with right-to-left evaluation, like APL.

So for the very simple formula "0+4", we encounter

0  literal, w=1
0+  function, w=-1, sum of weights=0,  function degree=1-w=2
0+4  literal, w=1, sum of weights=1 <--complete wff


Now the problem happens when I try to add an operator, it needs to counterbalance the weight of its associated functions, thus it should be positive, but it shouldn't ever create a condition of "false positive", so it also needs to be further from positive. Perhaps another dimension, or a second field of the type descriptor?

For "+/ab", the sequence of discovery is

+  function, w=-1, function degree=1-w=2
+/  operator w=1??  sum of weights=0
+/a  variable, w=1, sum of weights=1 <-- false positive.
+/ab  variable w=1, sum of weights=2, yet I want this to sum to 1.


Is there a better way that I'm not seeing?

Some background: Burks, Warren and Wright published a description of simple interpreter for a Logic Machine for unparenthesized Lukasiewicz notation (paper, SO question, c implementation, postscript implementation) which was heavily cited in Kenneth Iverson's 1962 classic A Programming Language.

Within there is an elegant system of typing by associating integer weight to variables, literals, and functions, which allows a simple max_weight/length test for well-formedness (ready for reduction), as well as a simple formula to convert the weight into the degree or arity of the function. Specifically, variables and literals are given weight=1, and unary functions are given weight=0, and binary functions are given weight=-1. For a function (w<1), its degree d is 1-w.

What I'd like to do, and I'm not sure how to go about it, is to add APL's operator type to the mix. But it would seem that I need a very weird kind of number, that can by simple arithmetic yield the function arity and yield the correct positive (minimum, ie. 1) weight for a complete well-formed formula.

For the extended language, I'm adding integers 0-9 as well as variables a-z, binary + and -, and unary < "box" and > "unbox", and the monadic operator / "reduce". Also, we'll use infix syntax with right-to-left evaluation, like APL.

So for the very simple formula "0+4", we encounter

0  literal, w=1
0+  function, w=-1, sum of weights=0,  function degree=1-w=2
0+4  literal, w=1, sum of weights=1 <--complete wff


Now the problem happens when I try to add an operator, it needs to counterbalance the weight of its associated functions, thus it should be positive, but it shouldn't ever create a condition of "false positive", so it also needs to be further from positive. Perhaps another dimension, or a second field of the type descriptor?

For "+/ab", the sequence of discovery is

+  function, w=-1, function degree=1-w=2
+/  operator w=1??  sum of weights=0
+/a  variable, w=1, sum of weights=1 <-- false positive.
+/ab  variable w=1, sum of weights=2, yet I want this to sum to 1.


Is there a better way that I'm not seeing?

1

# Extending the type scheme for Burks/Warren/Wright machine to handle operators on functions?

Some background: Burks, Warren and Wright published a description of simple interpreter for a Logic Machine for unparenthesized Lukasiewicz notation (paper, SO question, c implementation, postscript implementation) which was heavily cited in Kenneth Iverson's 1962 classic A Programming Language.

Within there is an elegant system of typing by associating integer weight to variables, literals, and functions, which allows a simple max_weight/length test for well-formedness (ready for reduction), as well as a simple formula to convert the weight into the degree or arity of the function. Specifically, variables and literals are given weight=1, and unary functions are given weight=0, and binary functions are given weight=-1. For a function (w<1), its degree d is 1-w.

What I'd like to do, and I'm not sure how to go about it, is to add APL's operator type to the mix. But it would seem that I need a very weird kind of number, that can by simple arithmetic yield the function arity and yield the correct positive (minimum, ie. 1) weight for a complete well-formed formula.

For the extended language, I'm adding integers 0-9 as well as variables a-z, binary + and -, and unary < "box" and > "unbox", and the monadic operator / "reduce". Also, we'll use infix syntax with right-to-left evaluation, like APL.

So for the very simple formula "0+4", we encounter

0  literal, w=1
0+  function, w=-1, sum of weights=0,  function degree=1-w=2
0+4  literal, w=1, sum of weights=1 <--complete wff


Now the problem happens when I try to add an operator, it needs to counterbalance the weight of its associated functions, thus it should be positive, but it shouldn't ever create a condition of "false positive", so it also needs to be further from positive. Perhaps another dimension, or a second field of the type descriptor?

For "+/ab", the sequence of discovery is

+  function, w=-1, function degree=1-w=2
+/  operator w=1??  sum of weights=0
+/a  variable, w=1, sum of weights=1 <-- false positive.
+/ab  variable w=1, sum of weights=2, yet I want this to sum to 1.


Is there a better way that I'm not seeing?