以下是我给韦氏辞典发的问题以及他们的编辑的回复。
看来between限定的范围是包括端点值的。
确实，在很多情况下，为了避免歧义，外国人是使用from X to Y这种表达方式的。
> Hi,
> I want to know the exact definition of the word \"between\" in technical
> literatures. In other words, I want to know whether a numerical range
> defined by the word \"between\" include its end points. For an example,
> \"heating the substrate at a temperature between 0 and 100 Fahrenheit\",
> whether \"0\" and \"100\" are included in this range. In another example, \"X is
> an integer between 0 and 10\", whether integers \"0\" and \"10\" are included.
> Look forward to receiving your kind instructions.
> Yours
\"Between\" does not really have a \"technical\" meaning such as you describe. The
convention in your examples is usually to include the end points-- if you are asked to
pick a number between 1 and 10, usually \"1\" and \"10\" are acceptable choices.
In technical contexts where authors wish to eliminate uncertainty, they will often say
that the range is from X to Y \"inclusive,\" meaning that X and Y are specifically
included in the range. The opposite term \"exclusive\" is also usable, but it\'s much less
common-- remember that the assumption is usually that the stated range includes the
end points, so deliberately giving the figures in another way would be an odd choice.
Daniel Brandon,
Associate Editor, Merriam-Webster Inc.
http://www.Merriam-Webster.com
http://www.WordCentral.com
http://www.Merriam-WebsterCollegiate.com
http://www.Merriam-WebsterUnabridged.com |
