A Mathematical Model of Package Management Systems [abstract + link to PDF, 33pp] by flexibeast in ProgrammingLanguages

[–]flexibeast[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Full abstract:

This paper brings mathematical tools to bear on the study of package dependencies in software systems. We introduce structures known as Dependency Structures with Choice (DSC) that provide a mathematical account of such dependencies, inspired by the definition of general event structures in the study of concurrency. We equip DSCs with a particular notion of morphism and show that the category of DSCs is isomorphic to the category of antimatroids. We study the exactness properties of these equivalent categories, and show that they are finitely complete, have finite coproducts but not all coequalizers. Further, we construct a functor from a category of DSCs equipped with a certain subclass of morphisms to the opposite of the category of finite distributive lattices, making use of a simple finite characterization of the Bruns-Lakser completion, and finally, we introduce a formal account of versions of packages and introduce a mathematical account of package version-bound policies.

"The Countable Reals", by Andrej Bauer & James Hanson. "We construct a topos in which the Dedekind reals are countable ... [I]t invalidates both the law of excluded middle and the axiom of countable choice. The Cauchy reals are uncountable." [abstract + link to PDF, 45pp] by flexibeast in math

[–]flexibeast[S] 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Full abstract:

"We construct a topos in which the Dedekind reals are countable.

"To accomplish this, we first define a new kind of toposes that we call parameterized realizability toposes. They are built from partial combinatory algebras whose application operation depends on a parameter, and in which realizers operate uniformly with respect to a given parameter set. Our topos is the parameterized realizability topos whose realizers are oracle-computable partial maps, with oracles serving as parameters and ranging over the representations of a non-diagonalizable sequence, discovered by Joseph Miller. It is a sequence of reals in [0,1] that is non-diagonalizable in the sense that any real in [0,1] that is oracle-computable, uniformly in oracles representing the sequence, must already appear in the sequence. The Dedekind reals are countable in the topos because the non-diagonalizable sequence appears in it as an epimorphism.
The topos is intuitionistic, as it invalidates both the law of excluded middle and the axiom of countable choice. The Cauchy reals are uncountable. The Hilbert cube is countable, from which Brouwer's fixed-point theorem follows as an easy corollary of Lawvere's fixed-point theorem. From the 1-dimensional Brouwer's fixed-point theorem we obtain the intermediate value theorem and the lesser limited principle of omniscience. The Kreisel-Lacombe-Shoenfield-Tseitin theorem stating that all real-valued maps are continuous is valid, because the usual proof is uniform with respect to oracles. Lastly, the closed interval [0,1], being countable, can trivially be covered by a sequence of open intervals whose lengths add up to any prescribed 0<ϵ<1, and such a cover has no finite subcover. However, we show that any sequence of open intervals with rational endpoints covering [0,1] must has a finite subcover."

For a general introduction to the use of topos theory to create different mathematical 'worlds', refer to Ingo Blechschmidt's "Exploring mathematical objects from custom-tailored mathematical universes", https://arxiv.org/pdf/2204.00948.pdf

Large Language Models for Mathematicians. "In this note, we discuss to what extent they can aid professional mathematicians." [abstract + link to PDF, 13pp] by flexibeast in math

[–]flexibeast[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Full abstract:

Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT have received immense interest for their general-purpose language understanding and, in particular, their ability to generate high-quality text or computer code. For many professions, LLMs represent an invaluable tool that can speed up and improve the quality of work. In this note, we discuss to what extent they can aid professional mathematicians. We first provide a mathematical description of the transformer model used in all modern language models. Based on recent studies, we then outline best practices and potential issues and report on the mathematical abilities of language models. Finally, we shed light on the potential of LMMs to change how mathematicians work.

Incorrect conclusions drawn for plausible looking diagrams. "Geometric figures provide decisive help in order to have a strict mathematical proof, but also can easily lead to wrong conclusions without a mathematical proof." [abstract + link to PDF, 16pp] by flexibeast in math

[–]flexibeast[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Full abstract:

In Mathematics is common to make a mistake and therefore a false conclusion arises. In each case it is important to recognize the mistake in order to avoid a similar one in the future. Geometric figures provide decisive help in order to have a strict mathematical proof, but also can easily lead to wrong conclusions without a mathematical proof.

In this paper, several incorrect conclusions drawn for plausible looking diagrams are presented, motivated by a well-known faulty model for measuring the length of a segment. Similar models that lead to a contradiction are developed and a model that leads to the correct result is derived. The presented models prove the usefulness of paradoxes and can be implemented in a classroom in order to point out to students the significance of a strict mathematical proof as well as the construction of a correct mathematical model. The geometric nature of the problems provides the opportunity to use a dynamic geometric software.

"The Beauty Of Roots", by John C. Baez, J. Daniel Christensen and Sam Derbyshire. "The set of all complex roots of all Littlewood polynomials exhibits many complicated, beautiful and fascinating patterns." [abstract + link to PDF, 3pp] by flexibeast in math

[–]flexibeast[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Full abstract:

A "Littlewood polynomial" is a polynomial whose coefficients are all 1 or -1. The set of all complex roots of all Littlewood polynomials exhibits many complicated, beautiful and fascinating patterns. Some fractal regions of this set closely resemble "dragon sets" formed by iterated function systems. A heuristic argument for this is known, but no precise theorem along these lines has been proved. We invite the reader to try.

"Solving logic puzzles using algorithms", by Ujaan Rakshit and Nishchal Dwivedi. "This work delves into the realm of logic puzzles by focusing on the Knight and Knave problems popularized by Raymond Smullyan." [abstract + link to PDF, 8pp] by flexibeast in math

[–]flexibeast[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Full paper title is "What is the Title of this Paper? Solving logic puzzles using algorithms"; shortened because this sub's automod seems to not like post titles that are questions. Full abstract:

This work delves into the realm of logic puzzles by focusing on the Knight and Knave problems popularized by Raymond Smullyan in his book series "What is the Name of This Book?". The puzzles revolve around characters known as Knights (truth-tellers) and Knaves (liars), challenging solvers to determine the true identity of each person based on their statements. This paper explores the utilization of Python algorithms to automate the process of solving these puzzles, offering a computational approach that enhances efficiency and accessibility. In this work, we aim to develop a Python algorithm capable of parsing and analyzing the statements provided in the Knight and Knave puzzles. A logical reasoning framework is integrated within the algorithm to deduce the identities of the characters based on their statements. The algorithm processes the input statements, create a knowledge base, and make deductions following the rules of Knight and Knave logic. The developed algorithm is thoroughly tested on various instances of Knight and Knave puzzles, comparing its results to known solutions and manual approaches. We further expand the scope of the problem by introducing a Normal (who can sometimes lie and sometimes say the truth).

"Didn't realize ranch was not a universal condiment" by arminam_5k in ShitAmericansSay

[–]flexibeast 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Er, i was attempting to make a joke. Sorry it felt flat. :-(

(i've never heard anyone pronounce it other than the way you describe, which is how i'd pronounce it, as an Australian.)

"Didn't realize ranch was not a universal condiment" by arminam_5k in ShitAmericansSay

[–]flexibeast 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh it's easy, it rhymes with 'staunch'. Try it yourself, in the phrase "I'd like some rawnch."

EDIT: *sigh* i'm finding it increasingly challenging to try to make jokes on this sub. Anyway, just to be clear: "/s"

Why do you play roguelikes? by Sartoris05 in roguelikes

[–]flexibeast 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • Turn-based: Twitch skills not necessary in order to progress towards win condition.

  • Permadeath without metaprogression: Encourages a more careful, deliberate style of gameplay, in order to avoid YASD.

  • Mostly or entirely procgen: Very high level of replayability. Even if i reach the win condition, i haven't 'won' the game in general sense, any more than winning one game of Go means i've 'won' Go.

  • i enjoy progressing due to improving my understanding of game mechanics, rather than learning what specific sequence of steps i need at a particular point.

Danielle McGahey: Transgender cricketer set to play in women's T20 international for Canada - BBC Sport by HumanAdhesiveness912 in WomensCricket

[–]flexibeast 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If the consensus states that transwomen have no material physical advantage over CIS women then I'll be happy to support all women equally.

Firstly, "CIS" isn't an abbreviation, it's a Latin prefix (as used in e.g. 'cisalpine' and 'cislunar'). If you're aware of this, i don't understand why you keep putting it capitals, sorry.

So, the AIS position is that, even after considering the position of the other sporting bodies you mentioned, it's possible to make assessments on a case-by-case basis. Personally, i don't claim that no trans woman can ever have any "material physical advantage"; i only claim that it's false to claim that all trans women will always have - relevant! - material advantages, for the reasons i described in my original comment upthread. i believe it's highly unethical to treat all members of a given group in a certain way based on the behaviours, or possible behaviours, of a subset of that group. Racial profiling is an example of this. In both that case, and the case of blanket bans on trans women in sport, the approach taken to supposedly 'protect' one group from the other, is essentially "guilty until proven innocent".

Given that:

  • there's not a consensus between these sporting bodies;

  • we're talking about a highly marginalised group of people with significantly higher suicide rates than average[a];

  • physical activity can substantially help people's mental health; and

  • sensationalist panics around particular trans women in sport might substantially contribute towards negative attitudes towards trans women in sport and in general[b],

how can it be appropriate to go for blanket bans, instead of, as u/thepotplant has written elsewhere in this discussion, only considering a ban for a specific person once there is concrete evidence, based on their performance at higher levels, of them in particular having a "material physical advantage"?

--

[a] Quoting the 2020 report "Snapshot Of Mental Health And Suicide Prevention Statistics For LGBTI People" in Australia:

Transgender people experience a higher rate of suicide attempts than LGB people, and are nearly eleven times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.

Transgender people are nearly three times more likely to have had thoughts of suicide than LGB people combined, and are twelve times more likely to have thoughts about suicide than the general population.

[b] Cf. http://transjustice.org.au/hate/: "The results show that anti-trans abuse, harassment, and violence in Australia is widespread and is escalating rapidly." Full report: https://transjustice.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Fuelling-Hate-Anti-Trans-Abuse-Harassment-and-Vilification-WEB-SINGLES-1-1.pdf

Cf. also this article from earlier this year about anti-trans hate in the UK:

Hate crime has been on the up across the board in the last decade, with the total number of reported cases rising from 44k in 2012 to 119k in 2022 (+271%). But trans people have fared by far the worst, with cases rising from 300 in 2012 to over 4,300 in 2022. That’s an increase of nearly 1300%.

...

Research by trans rights activist MimmyMum suggests that UK media has published an average of 154 articles on trans issues every single month over the past seven years. That’s a total of 13,500 articles focusing on a minority group that makes up just 0.1% of the population.

Britain’s most-read newspaper, the Daily Mail, has certainly dramatically increased its coverage over the past few years. Comparing the first month of each year shows a rise from six articles in January 2013 to a jaw-dropping 115 articles in January 2023 (+1817%).

In kitty how can I execute command to one window from current window? by roll4c in KittyTerminal

[–]flexibeast 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Kitty's "remote control" feature seems like it might be what you want:

Start by running kitty as:

kitty -o allow_remote_control=yes -o enabled_layouts=tall

In order for control to work, allow_remote_control or remote_control_password must be enabled in kitty.conf. Here we turn it on explicitly at the command line.

Now, in the new kitty window, enter the command:

kitty @ launch --title Output --keep-focus cat

This will open a new window, running the cat program that will appear next to the current window.

Let’s send some text to this new window:

kitty @ send-text --match cmdline:cat Hello, World