Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!micro-heart-of-gold.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!panix!not-for-mail From: Grant Edwards Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: Working with the set of real numbers (was: Finding size of Variable) Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:24:45 +0000 (UTC) Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC Lines: 24 Message-ID: References: <8e4c1ab1-e65d-483f-ad9d-6933ae2052c3@googlegroups.com> <7e7d3200-a4ae-4842-ad8d-68b4435b9006@googlegroups.com> <52f219c5$0$29972$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <888bd2fc-54b0-4c46-9d7b-d81d01a78b52@googlegroups.com> <52f59aeb$0$29972$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <7cc8f49d-a4c7-48c2-a0af-ac58c847d794@googlegroups.com> <71e578f8-0d23-4b8e-b9f2-b987bdc9c01d@googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dsl.comtrol.com X-Trace: reader1.panix.com 1392218685 13234 64.122.56.22 (12 Feb 2014 15:24:45 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@panix.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:24:45 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: slrn/1.0.1 (Linux) Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:66045 On 2014-02-12, Ben Finney wrote: > Chris Angelico writes: > >> I have yet to find any computer that works with the set of real >> numbers in any way. Never mind optimization, they simply cannot work >> with real numbers. > > Not *any* computer? Not in *any* way? The Python built-in "float" > type "works with the set of real numbers", in a way. The only people who think that are people who don't actualy _use_ floating point types on computers. > What specific behaviour would, for you, qualify as "works with the > set of real numbers in any way" There's a whole laundry list of things (some of them rather nasty and difficult) you have to worry about when using FP that simply don't apply to "real" numbers. -- Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards Yow! HUGH BEAUMONT died at in 1982!! gmail.com