Hacker News Reader

In mathematics, operations are basically sets. The fact that `n/0` is not defined... doesn't really make 0 or division special, so I don't suppose that anybody has seriously worked on that.

It's very different in programming, of course.

View on HN

This is correct as long as you restrict your point of view only to sets. Even in pure mathematics one is usually interested in sets with additional structures. For instance, even though one speaks of the "set of real numbers" one usually implies that there is extra structure. In particular one usually requires that this set has operations "addition" and "multiplication" that make this set a ring. Then zero is the neutral element of addition and the annihilator of multiplication, so very special indeed!

Operations are just sets :)

Seriously worked on what?

On what the GP was asking, i.e. giving a meaning to matrix operations that are not defined.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com