This math scares me

[Grant Edwards]

In article <984561044.512222 at newsmaster-04.atnet.at>, Werner Schiendl wrote:

>> >Does this make a difference, as soon as arithmetics takes place?
>>
>> Yes.  All FP calculations took place in BCD.  You got exact
>> results as long as your values didn't exceed the
>> representations limits.
>>
>Exactly, and this is for example the case for 1/3, 1/7 and so on...
>Doesn't sound like an real improvement...

BCD floating point was primarily intended for monetary
calculations.

There is no such thing as 1/3 or 1/7 of a dollar.  

If you go to a bank and ask to withdraw 1/3 of a dollar,
they'll tell you you can have 0.33 or 0.34 dollars, but they
can't give you 1/3 dollars.

If you want to use rational numbers, you should use rational
numbers and not floating point.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  Now KEN and BARBIE
                                  at               are PERMANENTLY ADDICTED to
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