Dsignoff

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Hello, Dsignoff, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

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Linear function

Hi. I would like to mention that it is common Wikipedia etiquette to always use an edit summary when you contribute, and you should not revert edits without explanation, meaning this.

Now, I know just as well as you what a linear function is. Yet, especially in elementary mathematics, a linear function is not the same as a linear transformation, rather a linear function is a polynomial of degree 1.

As such, we on Wikipedia do not establish rules for terminology. Rather, we are supposed to explain things the way they are. The term linear transformation always means what you and me know it to mean. But the term linear function can mean either a polynomial of degree 1, or a linear transformation, and the article should explain that.

You can reply here if you have comments. Thanks. Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 01:40, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

If that's how you want to phrase the article that's fine with me. I'm still not 100% convinced that's the way to go, but I see where you're coming from. So if you want to go ahead and revert the page I will leave it alone. Dsignoff 03:33, 11 February 2007 (UTC)Dsignoff

OK, here's the deal. I like more the framework of the article the way it was written before you changed it, so I am going to go back to it (therefore, mentioning first the elementary mathematics usage, then the more advanced mathematics usage). Other than that I am not dogmatically attached to the exact wording. If you'd like to edit the article to put more weight on the other definition or to actually write the T(c1*x+c2*y)=c1*T(x1)+c2*T(x2), I won't mind. I am sure we can arrive at something acceptable to everybody. Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 03:57, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

That's fine - the linear transform page is well written and linked to off the linear function page so I'm fine with letting people follow that link. Sorry that our introduction was this little back and forth. Dsignoff 04:01, 11 February 2007 (UTC)Dsignoff

No problem. :) In case you are interested to know what mathematicians on Wikipedia gossip about, here's our math gathering place, Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Mathematics. Any math discussion is welcome there. Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 04:25, 11 February 2007 (UTC)