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Talk:ABC problem: Difference between revisions
→can_make_word("") == False
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It would be good to hear from the original task creator on this issue as well from other interested parties. --[[User:Paddy3118|Paddy3118]] ([[User talk:Paddy3118|talk]]) 18:44, 9 January 2014 (UTC)
:Well the question is, "Can you make this word given this collection of blocks?" The answer doesn't make sense without valid input and there are numerous ways to handle it in different languages. I chose the "false" value arbitrarily since it could be readily interpreted as, "no, I cannot spell any words if you don't give me one to spell." The case for "true" is equally valid. If it would help avoid bike-shedding over the issue I'd opt for removing the case altogether.--[[User:Jking|Jking]] ([[User talk:Jking|talk]]) 20:20, 9 January 2014 (UTC)
:: An empty string is a word without letters, which is not the same as "not giving you a word". If you are going to choose arbitrarily between two interpretations anyway, choose the one that's simpler. We want to use a subset of the blocks to spell out a word, using an empty subset (i.e. no blocks) is the way to spell a word with no letters, so "true" is a more natural answer. What you want is better expressed as "using a ''nonempty'' set of blocks to spell a word", which is different and more (and unnecessarily) restrictive. Choosing "true" or "false" are not equally valid if you define the task clearly. --[[User:Ledrug|Ledrug]] ([[User talk:Ledrug|talk]]) 20:49, 9 January 2014 (UTC)
==Not a set of blocks==
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