home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!markh
- From: markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark)
- Newsgroups: comp.theory
- Subject: Re: Real Numbers vs. Rational Numbers?
- Date: 26 Dec 1992 18:31:27 GMT
- Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
- Lines: 19
- Distribution: inet
- Message-ID: <1hi8dvINN5l2@uwm.edu>
- References: <1992Dec16.095412.19570@tom.rz.uni-passau.de> <1992Dec16.222628.27208@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> <1992Dec17.142150.7932@tom.rz.uni-passau.de>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
-
- In article <1992Dec17.142150.7932@tom.rz.uni-passau.de> boerncke@kirk.fmi.uni-passau.de (Frank-Roland Boernke) writes:
- >How is it possible to work with irrationals in a table? Of course you cannot store
- >them digit by digit as there is an infinite number. But if you choose a finite
- >representation e.g. two letters P and I for the sequence 3.141592654... how can
- >you calculate say PI * PI?
-
- Calculate PI * PI.
- Answer: PI*PI.
-
- Since "PI*PI" is a finite representation of PI * PI from which one can
- algorithmically computer any of its digits in finite time, this counts as a
- valid answer.
-
- If you don't consider this valid, then neither will you consider this valid:
-
- Calculate: 2 / 5
- Answer: 2/5.
-
- So then on that account, computers can't even work with fractions.
-