[Om3] Being pragmatic about the semantics of, eg, variables and functions

[Professor James Davenport]

On Mon, March 23, 2009 1:22 pm, c.a.rowley at open.ac.uk wrote:
>> Manifesto: a pure, context-free lambda-expression neither describes a
>> mathematical function nor expresses any 'mathematical semantics'.
> Whether this is relevant to much of
> the rest of the mathematics is the question.
>>>
>
> Precisely, but more precisely:
>
>  is it relevant to current usage of OM ?
I SUSPECT most current usage of OM is reasonably happy with the status
quo. This doesn't mean that there aren't alternatives with whcih they'd be
equally happy.
>  is it relevant to anticipated and different uses of OM ?
Probably less so.
>  is it relevant to the digitisation of (most) mathematical exposition ?
Almost certainly not at all. I am assuming that by exposition you are
including both research exposition and didactic, though the line is, of
course, impossible to draw.

James Davenport
Visiting Full Professor, University of Waterloo
Otherwise:
Hebron & Medlock Professor of Information Technology and
Chairman, Powerful Computing WP, University of Bath
OpenMath Content Dictionary Editor and Programme Chair, OpenMath 2009
IMU Committee on Electronic Information and Communication