Need some ideas for help with a symbol-manipulation system

Hey...
I'm trying to work out a symbol-manipulation system and need a few ideas for what 'symbols' to use. I won't bother explaining it all here; but essentially what I need are 'symbols' (things) within a particular category/set which can be combined, the product of the combination being a new unique 'symbol' (ie. it is produced by and only by the combination of its contributing symbols).

A limited, but effective, example is colours.

Purple iff Red and Blue
Orange iff Red and Yellow
Green iff Yellow and Green

These are examples of exactly the form I am after:

X iff Y and Z

(ie. X = Y and Z and only Y and Z; Y and Z = X and only X)

or more exactly (and not present within the colour example):

X iff Y and Z (and A (and B))

namely, X iff Y ... n

Numbers won't work, because although each 'symbol' (ie. each number) can be combined with each other 'symbol' in the set (ie. all numbers), the product of the combination is not unique to that particular combination.

Eg. 1+5=6; 2+4=6 also.

I said before that the colours example is limited. The limitations I want to avoid in the 'symbol set' that I eventually choose are:

i) A small number of combinable symbols within the set (eg. with the colour example, we have only three initial symbols (red, yellow, blue) to combine.

ii) A limit to the 'combinability' of symbols within the set (eg. with the colour example, each symbol can only be combined with one other symbol [red]. If more than two symbols are combined [say, red + yellow + blue] the resulting 'symbol' [brown] is practically indistinguishable, and thus non-unique, from other resulting 'symbols' [say,].

So far I've been sticking to sense related sets, colours, smells, sounds etc.. because these are easily combinable and the results are (to an extent) memorable; also the sets themselves can be combined with i) the meanings associated with them in the system and ii) each other, and the resulting synesthesia is very useful to the system. But if you can think of any sets that meet my criteria, sense related or not, your suggestions would be handy!

Can you think of any sets analogous (but more expansive) to the colour example?

Here's hoping...

Many thanks... peace x

Reply 1

generalebriety

Numbers might work, you might just be doing it wrongly. A limited example would be to use powers of 2: set red = 1, blue = 2, yellow = 4; then purple = red + blue = 1 + 2 = 3, and so on. (If you had more colours, the next would be 8, then 16, then 32...) The limit to this is that you can't then do purple + blue, because you get 5 (which is orange). Another, slightly more useful, example is to use prime numbers; if we set red = 2, blue = 3, yellow = 5, and 'combine' colours by multiplication, then purple = red * blue = 2*3 = 6, and if we then combine purple with blue further we get 12. This can always be broken down into its constituent parts because prime factorisation is unique. Only problem is that the numbers might get unwieldy and impractical.

Of course, another option is that you could just set red = (1,0,0), blue = (0,1,0), yellow = (0,0,1), and so purple = (1,1,0), and then purple + blue = (1,2,0).

Reply 2

Afrikaans Boytjie

I think prime factorisation will easily be the best candidate. Although this depends on how many symbols equate to the symbol in question. For example 18=3*3*2, this will have to be transformed as 9*2 or 6*3 if you only have two symbols that imply the result. But it can certainly yield very powerful unity and consistency if you choose the product very carefully. Maybe estabilsih a rule where the sum of the products must always be maximised? think about it, there are laws that you will have to put down for any logical system - don't abandon numbers just for semantic reasons. Good Luck :smile:

*Need some ideas for help with a symbol-manipulation system*

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Need some ideas for help with a symbol-manipulation system