Re: Positive random number

Johannes Bauer wrote:
Richard Heathfield schrieb:

The return value of rand isn't guaranteed to be positive.
What does "positive" mean?
Greater than zero.

Is x positive if and only if x > 0?
Yes.

Does that mean that 0 is neither positive nor negative?
Yes.

The question if 0 is positive or not is one which has long been debated
my mathematicians around the world - and still is. Many are of the
opinion that it is useful to define it as positive, just as it is useful
to define 0^0 = 1 (although this is not as clear as it might seem).

The point is: It's a question a definition. Your answer is much too
dogmatic.

There might be obscure discussions among mathematicians in which such a definition is used, but I believe that in almost all contexts, the overwhelming majority of the mathematically literate population consider 0 to be neither positive nor negative. I don't think it's excessively dogmatic to insist on interpreting it that way in this context.

.

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