Re: (*) -> 1

[Michael Heerdegen]

Óscar Fuentes <ofv@wanadoo.es> writes:

> Even a programmer can't assume that associativity and commutativity
> can be used on a long, finite, sum.

As long as it's a sum, of course can a programmer assume that.

> But that's a digression. My point is that (+) and (+ n) are not
> supported (or, better said, appreciated) because some mathematical
> reason, but because they are as much convenient when writing macros as
> they are silly on "normal" code. It's about making easy for the
> programmer to do some mundane tasks, not about Mathematics.

No - the result of "1" is surely related to mathematics.  It comes from
the mathematical interpretation of the term (*) as empty product.

You can interpret it differently, but the convention is the same and
there for the same reason as the same convention for the empty product
in math.

Michael.