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Verbose and flexible args and kwargs syntax

Jussi Piitulainen jpiitula at ling.helsinki.fi
Mon Dec 12 06:46:56 EST 2011 
Eelco writes:

> > The modulus is not the result but one of the arguments: when numbers x
> > and y are congruent modulo n (stated in terms of the modulo operation:
> > x mod n = y mod n), the modulus is n. A word for x mod n is remainder.
> >
> > I agree about the obscurity of using the percent sign as the operator.
> >
> > A quick google suggests that your use of 'modulus' is now popular
> > among programmers. Past experience in mathematics newsgroups tells me
> > that some mathematicians do not accept the existence of any remainder
> > operator at all. Honest. (I see them but I cannot understand them.)
> 
> You are correct; the thing it computes is the remainder, not the
> modulus. Nonetheless, 'x modulus y' is how it is put in natural
> language, but I suppose math.remainder would be my preferred place to
> put this.

I think it's 'x modulo y', which matches 'x and y are congruent modulo
z', but now I fear that programming people have been developing a
different habit.
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