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Re: Java puzzler

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Subject Re: Java puzzler
Date Sat, 14 May 2011 19:33:45 -0400
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On 14/05/2011 11:46 AM, markspace wrote:
> If you've ever actually tried to use BigDecimal with its "infinite
> precision" mode, you know that this blows up pretty quickly due to out
> of memory errors. The first time you try to evaluate 1/3, it throws an
> error. Infinite precision is not the answer.

This erroneously presupposes that the only means available for 
representing fractions is as binary or decimal floating-point or 
fixed-point. Many other programming languages have a Ratio or Rational 
type, including most Lisps and all Smalltalks; a Java equivalent would 
represent 1/3 exactly as a BigInteger numerator 1 and a BigInteger 
denominator 3.

Of course, irrational numbers like sqrt(2) and pi would still present 
difficulties.

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Thread

Re: Java puzzler Gábor Bakos <aborgabor@gmail.com> - 2011-05-11 01:44 -0700
  Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-11 05:24 -0700
    Re: Java puzzler Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-05-11 21:57 +0100
      Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-11 16:07 -0700
        Re: Java puzzler Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-05-12 21:38 +0100
          Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-12 13:45 -0700
            Re: Java puzzler Nancy 3 <n3@gmai1.c0m> - 2011-05-12 16:56 -0400
              Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-12 14:32 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-12 16:05 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-12 17:40 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-12 18:18 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-12 19:26 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-05-14 10:18 +0100
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-14 08:09 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-05-14 13:00 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Joshua Cranmer <Pidgeot18@verizon.invalid> - 2011-05-14 15:08 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-14 13:25 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-14 08:46 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Spock <spock@starfleet.ufp> - 2011-05-14 19:33 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-05-15 00:41 +0100
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-14 18:35 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Joshua Cranmer <Pidgeot18@verizon.invalid> - 2011-05-14 23:43 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-05-15 11:16 +0100
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-15 05:40 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2011-05-15 15:23 +0100
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-15 08:09 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-15 07:37 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-15 08:00 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-15 08:16 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-15 07:35 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-15 08:11 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-15 08:15 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-05-15 13:11 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Nancy 3 <n3@gmai1.c0m> - 2011-05-12 20:47 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-12 18:00 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-12 18:01 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Nancy 3 <n3@gmai1.c0m> - 2011-05-12 21:22 -0400
                Re: Java puzzler Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-05-12 18:32 -0700
                Re: Java puzzler Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-05-12 22:34 -0400
              Re: Java puzzler Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-05-12 22:27 -0400
      Re: Java puzzler "John B. Matthews" <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2011-05-12 00:28 -0400
      Re: Java puzzler Joshua Cranmer <Pidgeot18@verizon.invalid> - 2011-05-12 10:33 -0400
  Re: Java puzzler Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-05-11 09:12 -0400
  Re: Java puzzler Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2011-05-11 09:13 -0400
  Re: Java puzzler markspace <-@.> - 2011-05-11 08:00 -0700

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