Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!gegeweb.org!usenet-fr.net!nerim.net!novso.com!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed2.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.014 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.97; '*S*': 0.00; 'position,': 0.05; 'false.': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:set': 0.09; 'subset': 0.09; 'finney': 0.16; 'imo,': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'wed,': 0.18; 'feb': 0.22; 'saying': 0.22; 'header :User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'point': 0.28; 'chris': 0.29; 'statement': 0.30; "i'm": 0.30; 'subject:numbers': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'subject:the': 0.34; 'subject:with': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'received:com.au': 0.36; 'clear': 0.37; 'ben': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'pm,': 0.38; 'rather': 0.38; 'expect': 0.39; '12,': 0.39; 'sure': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'number,': 0.60; 'skip:* 10': 0.61; "you're": 0.61; 'real': 0.63; '"real': 0.84; '*does': 0.84; 'received:125': 0.84; 'mistakes': 0.93 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Ben Finney Subject: Re: Working with the set of real numbers Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 22:44:06 +1100 References: <8e4c1ab1-e65d-483f-ad9d-6933ae2052c3@googlegroups.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> <85r478bv99.fsf_-_@benfinney.id.au> <85ioskbtfm.fsf@benfinney.id.au> <85eh38bq5z.fsf@benfinney.id.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: vmx15867.hosting24.com.au X-Public-Key-ID: 0xBD41714B X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 9CFE 12B0 791A 4267 887F 520C B7AC 2E51 BD41 714B X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-gpg.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:MysYIUMpcdCyC33c18Escb3tb9o= X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 24 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1392205467 news.xs4all.nl 2873 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:46359 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:66028 Chris Angelico writes: > On Wed, Feb 12, 2014 at 9:07 PM, Ben Finney wrote: > > That's why I think you need to be clear that your point isn't > > “computers don't work with real numbers”, but rather “computers work > > only with a limited subset of real numbers”. > > Hmm, I'm not sure that my statement is false. If a computer can work > with "real numbers", then I would expect it to be able to work with > any real number. Likewise, if you claim that a computer *does not* work with real numbers, then I would expect that for any real number, the computer would fail to work with that number. Which is why neither of those is a good statement of your position, IMO, and you're better off saying the *limitations* you're describing. -- \ “An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be | `\ made in a very narrow field.” —Niels Bohr | _o__) | Ben Finney