May 31, 1999

The Poor Plus Sign

Whenever we discuss a fancy, complicated situation, we describe the various mitigating factors like this plus this plus this... all yields the resultant confusion. This is our natural splitting of a situation into various sides. However, where does this put this plus sign? Quite naturally, it is placed in the middle. The plus sign just merely stands there, acting only as a flimsy piece of connection. However, it is supposed to be neutral and not affect the way things fall in place, but can it willingly stand there and leave well enough alone? Sometimes, the plus sign must want to take sides, but how does it change from being an operator to a factor?