% is not an operator [was Re: Verbose and flexible args and kwargs syntax]

[Terry Reedy]

On 12/15/2011 6:04 AM, rusi wrote:
> On Dec 15, 3:58 pm, Chris Angelico<ros... at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> On Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 9:47 PM, Robert Kern<robert.k... at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>>   42 = 2 mod 5
>>>   2 = 42 mod 5
>>
>> It might make more sense to programmers if you think of it as written:
>>
>> 42 = 2, mod 5
>> 2 = 42, mod 5

Better, using ascii text, would be
42 =mod5 2
where =mod is a parameterized equivalence relation that is coarser than 
= (which is =mod-infinity). divmod(a,inf) = 0,a.
=mod1 is the most coarse relation in that it make every count 
equivalent. divmod(a,1) = a,1.

> For the record I should say that the guy who taught me abstract
> algebra, said about as much:
> He said that the notation
> a == b mod n
> should be written as
> a ==n b
> (read the == as 3 horizontal lines and the n as a subscript)

The 3 horizontal line symbol is often used for equivalence relations 
other than =.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy