Re: "Large" negative numbers

From: robert j. kolker (nowhere_at_nowhere.net)
Date: 12/30/04 

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 17:29:39 -0500

Peter Seibel wrote:

> Would a mathemetician use "large" to describe a negative number that
> is far away from zero or is -1 the "largest" negative integer? Or is
> there some other concise way to refer to negative numbers with large
> absolute values that isn't going to rub the mathematically inclined
> the wrong way?
>

The matter is purely definitional. I prefer looking at the -magnitude-
of the number when I say large or small. A negative number of small
magnitude is closer to 0 than one of large magnitude.

Bob Kolker

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