Undirected value: Difference between revisions

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Created page with "The '''undirected value''' is a function similar to the absolute value function, except where the absolute value ''negates'' if necessary in order to return a ''non-negative''..."
 
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Analogies: fix formatting of formula
 
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Pitch ratios are directed, while interval ratios are undirected.  
Pitch ratios are directed, while interval ratios are undirected.  


It is common practice to use the colon operator ":" for undirected interval ratios, and the slash operator "/" for directed pitch ratios. For example, "5/4" means something different than "4/5"; those are two ''different'' pitches. But "5:4" means the same thing as "4:5": this refers to the interval that ''either'' of those two pitches makes with the unison.
It is common practice to use the colon operator ":" for undirected interval ratios, and the slash operator "/" for directed pitch ratios. For example, "5/4" means something different than "4/5"; those are two ''different'' pitches. But "5:4" means the same thing as "4:5"; they are the same interval.


==Notation==
==Notation==
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==== Alternative ====
==== Alternative ====


In situations where it is difficult to realize either the <math>\LaTeX</math> or Unicode formats, and the function notation is not desired for some reason, a alternative mathematical notation is suggested: the value may be both infixed and outfixed with colons, as in ":x:".  
In situations where it is difficult to realize either the <math>\LaTeX</math> or Unicode formats, and the function notation is not desired for some reason, an alternative mathematical notation is suggested: the value may be outfixed with colons, as in ":x:".  


For example, :4/5: = 5/4.  
For example, :4/5: = 4:5 = 5/4.  


This alternative is designed to evoke the ":" operator which as previously described is the one typically used for undirected ratios.
This alternative is designed to evoke the infix ":" operator which as previously described is the one typically used for undirected ratios.


==Formula==
==Definitions==


=== As real ===
=== As real ===
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<math>
<math>
\overline{\underline{\frac{n}{d}}} = \text{sign}(\frac{n}{d})\frac{\min(|n|, |d|)}{\max(|n|, |d|)}
\overline{\underline{\frac{n}{d}}} = \text{sign}(\frac{n}{d})\frac{\max(|n|, |d|)}{\min(|n|, |d|)}
</math>
</math>


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A '''subunison''' number, by extension, is a real number whose absolute value is less than 1.
A '''subunison''' number, by extension, is a real number whose absolute value is less than 1.
And a '''unison''' number is a real number whose absolute value is equal to 1 (that is, it is either 1 or -1).


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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!
!
!superunison
!superunison
!unison
!undirected
!subunison
!subunison
|-
|-
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|<math>\frac12</math>
|<math>\frac12</math>
|-
|-
!zero
!unsigned
|<math>\infty</math>
|n/a
|0
|0
|n/a
|n/a
|-
|-
!negative
!negative
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|}
|}


The following identity shows the relationship between the undirected value and the absolute value, for positive real numbers.
<math>
\overline{\underline{x}} = b^{|log_{b}{x}|} \;\; \text{for any base} \; b>1 \; \text{and} \; x>0 \\
</math>
== Graphs ==
[[File:Und x.png|300px|frame|left|plot of the undirected value of x]]
[[File:Abs x.png|300px|frame|left|plot of the absolute value of x, for comparison]]
<br clear=all>
== History ==
== History ==