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From: Robert A Duff <bobduff@world.std.com>
Subject: Re: Large numbers (or is Ada the choice for me?)
Sender: bobduff@world.std.com (Robert A Duff)
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Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 23:02:50 GMT
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"Marin David Condic" <marin.condic.auntie.spam@pacemicro.com> writes:

> This is a hopeless mission. Consider the instant you're row reduction
> results in 1/3 - can you put that into a computer *without* an approximation
> and still do math on it?

Yes.  What's the problem?  A rational arithmetic package can do exact
arithmetic on 1/3 or any other rational number you can name.

>...I know of no general
> purpose languages that are going to give you math on that big a scale right
> out of the box.

Lisp.  Smalltalk.  &c.

- Bob