XPost: comp.theory   
   From: polcott333@gmail.com   
      
   On 12/14/2025 3:00 PM, Tristan Wibberley wrote:   
   > On 14/12/2025 16:16, polcott wrote:   
   >   
   >> This is my first principle   
   >> All Turing machines only compute the mapping   
   >> from input finite strings to some value.   
   >   
   > I maintain that's wrong. it should be "compute only".   
   >   
      
   All Turing machines compute only the mapping   
   from input finite strings to some value.   
      
   Computable functions are the basic objects of study   
   in computability theory. Informally, a function is   
   computable if there is an algorithm that computes   
   the value of the function for every value of its argument.   
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computable_function   
      
   Now we tie that to a model of computation:   
   Turing machines computable functions only compute   
   the mapping from input finite strings to some value.   
      
   *I might just use this as the new first principle*   
   Turing machine Deciders compute the mapping from   
   input finite strings to an accept or reject value   
   by some criterion measure.   
      
   > You previously said it means the same either way around but that's not   
   > true for "only" even if it's true for many adverbs because of a   
   > syntactic ambiguity due to the many parts of speech "only" can fulfil.   
   >   
   > [only compute] [the ]   
   > [compute] [only the ]   
   >   
   > the first can actually be wrong if nonterminating programs (ie, keep   
   > operating without making progress producing a result) are not said to   
   > compute, which I'm told they are not. Those turing machines do not   
   > compute so it can't be that compute is the only thing they do.   
   >   
      
   Your correction is correct.   
      
   > That the only thing they compute is  could be true depending   
   > on the , which is another matter.   
   >   
   >   
      
      
      
      
   --   
   Copyright 2025 Olcott

   
      
   My 28 year goal has been to make 
   
   "true on the basis of meaning expressed in language"
   
   reliably computable.

   
      
   This required establishing a new foundation
   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)