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Re: [uom-ontology-std] What is mass?

To: Joe Collins <joseph.collins@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: uom-ontology-std <uom-ontology-std@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Pat Hayes <phayes@xxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:04:32 -0500
Message-id: <F1C3712A-8C55-4389-94EA-6ED85F7AE7F3@xxxxxxx>

On Sep 25, 2009, at 3:05 PM, Joe Collins wrote:    (01)

> PH> ... but we ought to provide some axioms relating our notions
>> to appropriate higher-level categories, if only in order to provide
>> a guide to those whose task it is to write such axioms. Can people
>> use 'mass' as a function on physical objects, for example?
>
>
> YES.
> "Mass" can be interpreted as a function applied to a physical object.
> An algorithm that evaluates this function is a weighing procedure.    (02)

Yes, quite. That wasn't an actual question, but a rhetorical point  
about ontology construction. Should we write 'mass' as an actual  
logical function in our axioms, is the question. I think we should,  
indeed. But then we are under an obligation to say what the domain and  
range of that function are. And so we are obliged to at least *refer  
to* physical objects, etc.. Which was the point at issue.    (03)

Pat    (04)

>
> jbc
> -- 
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>    (05)

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