As the computer and mathematical types would see it, it goes like this:
performance = motivation = (total_interest - self_pity)
Needs a period at the end. Mathematical formulas don't need them on
their own, but anything inserted into a sentence is still inserted into
the sentence, and the sentence needs a period at its send.
It actually resembles a computer statement more than a mathematical
formula, and that needs a semicolon at the end. that will also offset
the awkwardness of having a right paren followed by a period.
If this was all code, or even multiple lines of code, then yes. My
point is that the surrounding context - namely, a work of fiction in
English, rather than a computer program - dictates the grammar rules.
Actually, if anything, I'd call it pseudocode, and I doubt that there are
any hard and fast rules which cover the above situation.
Also, ending a statement with a semicolon is a fixture of certain languages
(most notably C/C++ and Perl), but it is by no means a universal method of
ending a statement.
The reasoning behind this is that the whole "everything returns
something" idea doesn't fit well into other languages, which is what
the above (the subtraction returning a value to the assignment which
in turn returns a value to another assignment) relies on if you look
at it at a programming point of view. Of course, having something
equal something equal something else is also perfectly valid in math.
Or, at least it was the last time I checked...
As the original author of the statement, I would like to say that it
was originally intended to be a C/C++/Java statement. Remember kids, I
was supposed to be writing a high school programming course on Java
instead of writing this fic, so...
The way I see it, I think I should just surround both ends of the
statement with a newline instead of bothering with the whole
punctuation bit. Punctuation doesn't fit well with programming, but
giving it a semicolon would confuse non-programmers. Does that clear
up any confusion?
Actually, the simplest solution is, of course, to delete the entire
bit. It doesn't add much to the overall story and the "story" flows
perfectly well without it.
Unless if I suddenly get fanmail for that statemenet. Which I'm not
expecting.
:)
- Ed.