[comp.ai] Does the symbol system preclude the numeric one ?

muttiah@cs.purdue.EDU (Ranjan Samuel Muttiah) (12/05/89)

You are given the following simplified experimental set up.  You 
know of mass and nothing else.


       ***********                    *************
	|	|			|       |
	|  H-H	|			|       |
	|  H-H	|			|  4He  |
	 -------			 -------
	=========        --->	        =========
	/     4 \                       /    3.X\
       /     /	 \                     /     /   \  <- scale
      /	    o     \                   /     o     \
       -----------                     -----------


 The (4 - 3.X) mass information is lost from the numeric to the
symbolic world  ?