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Enjoy the weekend everyone.

A fun C# observation. I have an int variable that I'm setting to int.MinValue to indicate that its not yet been used (in the manner I want to use it). The intellisense help says 'Represents the smallest possible value of int'. Eeerm No. It represents the most negative value, the smallest minimum value is 0. There is conflation between minimum and negative which I think is a possible error.

If it helps I do want to set the int to the maximum negative value.

Hmm, isn't -1 smaller than 0, though?

It might be better to phrase it as "-1 is less than 0", but "lessest possible value" doesn't really make sense.

No Its bigger. More negative But bigger.

MinValue is an acceptable term bit the description of smallest is not.

@Freeflow smallest just depends on your definition of the norm

Perhaps, but if I want to minimize my debt I don't borrow more money.

The mathematical definition of the standard (total) ordering of real numbers is the one C# uses: a <= b is the same as a <= 0 and 0 <= b or 0 < a and 0 < b and abs(a) <= abs(b) or a < 0 and b < 0 and abs(b) <= abs(a).

@Vogel612 Small correction: your definition of ordering.

well, a norm imposes an ordering

Yes, a partial ordering. In the case of the real numbers, their total ordering is not induced by their norm. This norm actually does not induce any total ordering on real or even just the whole numbers.

yup, but since the C# integers are just a finite subset of whole numbers there is a norm that induces a total ordering

Actually, no. That only works on the unsigned ones.

norm(i) = i - int.MinValue should just move int to the uint space

unless the norm needs to map into the space it's defined over

but I don't remember that being a requirement

I thought that you mean that, but this is mathematically not a norm.

A norm is defined to send the additive zero element to zero.

agh.