Re:The undeserved status of the pigeon-hole principle (1991)
by FartyMcFarter on Sunday July 05, 2020 @08:57AM
(#23738336)
The pigeonhole principle is about counting things.
Counting things is one of the simplest things in mathematics. Much simpler than "averages", "real numbers" (a very complicated subject) and other things Dijkstra mentions in his alternative formulation.
It seems like he's sacrificing simplicity and ease of understanding for other properties that aren't generally applicable.
Counting things is one of the simplest things in mathematics. Much simpler than "averages", "real numbers" (a very complicated subject) and other things Dijkstra mentions in his alternative formulation.
It seems like he's sacrificing simplicity and ease of understanding for other properties that aren't generally applicable.