From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,69bb03cc695b330a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-03-09 15:28:06 PST Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!logbridge.uoregon.edu!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Large numbers (or is Ada the choice for me?) Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 18:12:56 -0500 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <98bo2p$njh$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <98bbbg$jmf$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <98bfb2$a2g1@news.cis.okstate.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 984179609 24177 136.170.200.133 (9 Mar 2001 23:13:29 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 9 Mar 2001 23:13:29 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: supernews.google.com comp.lang.ada:5591 Date: 2001-03-09T23:13:29+00:00 List-Id: "David Starner" wrote in message news:98bfb2$a2g1@news.cis.okstate.edu... > Yes. Computers can handle fractions just fine with the appropriate > package. I'm not sure it's feasible to have no approximations in a large > system of linear equations, but it's possible. > Maybe a bad example - my point is that there exists a possibility of generating numbers which are going to have an infinite number of decimal places and memory only goes so far. Hence, you're going to need some sort of approximation. Picking a rather large upper limit for that approximation is probably good enough. For matrix stuff, you might theoretically be able to handle the math entirely in fractions, but would you like the solution in our lifetime? :-) (Simulated big number math is probably bad enough!) MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/