On Sep 30 2012, Arnold Neumaier wrote:
The conventions about closed intervals are very standard, and don't vary with the field. This stuff is taught to all math students in the first semester.
I was taught different ones in analysis and topology, and it is probably
still done in some places. Even if not, conventions change over time,
and I don't care which I use as long as I know which it is.
One of the things I learnt fairly early in my career is that virtually
NO convention is invariant across all areas and across periods of many
decades, but I do have a rather wider range of experience than most
people. But there is a consequential point, the failure of which used
to send me up the wall (and occasionally still does):
PLEASE, when writing papers or documents to be read by people from very
different areas or over a long period, either define terms or provide
references to their definition.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.