[math-fun] The word "stathm"
We were taught in Algebra that a stathm is a function on a ring that can be used like absolute value on the integers to prove the Euclidean algorithm. It's in some math books, but I can't find it in any dictionary, not even the OED. Does anyone know of any dictionary where this word appears? --Dan _____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
Hmm. I didn't know the word before, but it occurs in this 1882 book on metrology http://books.google.com/books?id=WkS4AAAAIAAJ&dq=stathm&pg=PA44#v=onepage&q=... which, I should think might predates the notion of Euclidean ring, and so ought to be in OED irrespective of it being a math term. But I didn't actually find it in a dictionary. On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 2:51 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
We were taught in Algebra that a stathm is a function on a ring that can be used like absolute value on the integers to prove the Euclidean algorithm.
It's in some math books, but I can't find it in any dictionary, not even the OED. Does anyone know of any dictionary where this word appears?
--Dan
_____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
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"stathmic" is mentioned as a generic term for weight measure in http://www.anistor.gr/history/DIO_Support.html "homostathmy" and "heterostathmy" --- you know, when you measure the distance between anthers and stigma. "stathmin" is a microtubule-destabilizing protein Hilarie
What a cool word. There are a few Greek words with this stem, which all seem to share a sense of measuring, aligning, or marking out. The feminine noun "stathma" or "stathme" means a carpenter's rule or line; the masculine "stathmos" is an animal's rectangular stall. The verb "stathmao" means "measure by rule." The neuter noun "stathmon" means a weight. I'm not sure if all of these have the same etymological origin. I can't find any occurrences in Euclid, but my searching skills in Ancient Greek are poor, so it may be in there in some other form. On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 3:51 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
We were taught in Algebra that a stathm is a function on a ring that can be used like absolute value on the integers to prove the Euclidean algorithm.
It's in some math books, but I can't find it in any dictionary, not even the OED. Does anyone know of any dictionary where this word appears?
--Dan
_____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
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participants (4)
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Allan Wechsler -
Dan Asimov -
Hilarie Orman -
James Buddenhagen