- From: David Walbert <dwalbert@learnnc.org>
- Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2006 09:19:57 -0500
On Nov 4, 2006, at 8:00 AM, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote: >> ...<var>E</var> = <var>m</var> ? c<sup>2</sup> > > Is that equation ever legitimately rendered (in physics textbooks > etc) with the "m" in a different style from the "c"? If not, > perhaps the definition of <var> needs to be expanded to include > physical constants. No, constants and variables are presented identically in equations. The student simply is expected to know whether they are constants or not. This requires some context, but the equation makes sense only with context anyway. If I understand the draft standards correctly the var would be defined by a prior dfn element, and that is where one would note (if one believed it necessary) that the speed of light was constant. If that equation is considered only algebraically, then E, m, and c are treated identically anyway -- there is no difference in how you handle them mathematically. Is var really not meant to include constants represented algebraically? That would take semantic markup to a level that seems to me frankly silly. ------ David Walbert LEARN NC dwalbert at learnnc.org
Received on Monday, 6 November 2006 06:19:57 UTC