R help - Feb 2009 - Distinguishing variables from functions with the same name

guRus:

I have a variable "beta" as an argument to R's beta function.  So 
essentially I have a case of beta(alpha, beta).  What surprises me is that 
R doesn't barf on this stupid programming practice.  R gets the right 
answer.  How does R know "beta the variable" from "beta the
function"?

Joseph F. Lucke
Senior Statistician
Research Institute on Addictions
University at Buffalo
SUNY

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

See ?get and try:

sin <- 1
get("sin", mode = "numeric")
get("sin", mode = "function")

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:20 AM,  <JLucke at ria.buffalo.edu>
wrote:
> guRus:
>
> I have a variable "beta" as an argument to R's beta function.
So
> essentially I have a case of beta(alpha, beta).  What surprises me is that
> R doesn't barf on this stupid programming practice.  R gets the right
> answer.  How does R know "beta the variable" from "beta the
function"?
>
> Joseph F. Lucke
> Senior Statistician
> Research Institute on Addictions
> University at Buffalo
> SUNY
>
>        [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
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