[r-t] Foundational definitions (was Lead-based methods [was: Poll on consecutive blows in the same position])

[Don Morrison]

Sorry again, Mark.

On Tue, Dec 30, 2014 at 10:50 AM, Don Morrison <dfm at ringing.org> wrote:
> Does a method at stage N have to be able to be applicable to any
> possible row of stage N?
...
> It is pretty natural to make this bizarrity go away for α-methods at
> the same time as they must become finite if we do that (since it's
> going to involve a description of all N! possible starting rows
> anyway), but I think we do want to be sure to be explicit about it.

On reflection it's not at all clear whether we should get rid of this
bizarrity for all α-methods, or just for β-methods. It would be easy
enough to word things either way, I think. On balance I'm inclined to
believe it better to just make it go away for β-methods and still allow
it for α-methods. If others actually have any opinions on this,
perhaps it, too, is worthy of a poll eventually, though I suggest +not+
doing so until after we've made more progress on the stuff of wider
interest.



-- 
Don Morrison <dfm at ringing.org>
"The endeavor to understand is the first and only basis
of virtue."      -- Baruch Spinoza, _Ethics_