From: David MacMahon <davidm@...>
Date: 2013-02-28T02:16:36+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:53004] Re: [ruby-trunk - Feature #4897][Assigned] Define Math::TAU and BigMath.TAU. The "true" circle constant, Tau=2*Pi. See http://tauday.com/

I vote -1 on this idea because the name "TAU" is used in a number of fields to represent a wide variety of things:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_letters_used_in_mathematics,_science,_and_engineering#.CE.A4.CF.84_.28tau.29

For example, tau as also used as a constant representing the golden ratio (1.618...).

The names "PI" and "E" are used far more consistently across fields.  Giving special preference to one (proposed!) use of the name "TAU" seems unfair to the other (established!) uses.

How about making a "twopi" gem that defines Math::TAU and BigMath.TAU?  If it is as useful as its proponents claim, it will undoubtedly become a very popular gem and the public outcry to add it to the core of the language will be deafening.

Dave

On Feb 26, 2013, at 9:54 PM, drbrain (Eric Hodel) wrote:

> 
> Issue #4897 has been updated by drbrain (Eric Hodel).
> 
> Status changed from Feedback to Assigned
> Assignee set to matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)
> 
> The patch is fine.
> ----------------------------------------
> Feature #4897: Define Math::TAU and BigMath.TAU. The "true" circle constant, Tau=2*Pi. See http://tauday.com/
> https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/4897#change-37135
> 
> Author: sbaird (Simon Baird)
> Status: Assigned
> Priority: Low
> Assignee: matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)
> Category: Joke
> Target version: Next Major
> 
> 
> Firstly please read the Tau Manifesto at http://tauday.com/ . It's quite long but essential to understanding why this is a good idea.
> 
> Here is a patch on trunk that implements this:
> http://simonbaird.blogspot.com/2011/06/tau-in-ruby.html
> 
> Allow me to anticipate and respond in advance to some common objections:
> 
> 1. It's easy to define it yourself so why put this in core.
> Possibly correct, but I think this is the right thing to do. Tau is important. And it's a pretty small patch.
> 
> 2. If this constant goes in then pretty soon someone will want every other math constant and there are hundreds of them. (Slippery slope argument).
> The circle constant is one of the two most important numbers is mathematics. It's not just another math constant. We already define Pi.
> 
> 
> -- 
> http://bugs.ruby-lang.org/
>