----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Williams" <mer02@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <stella@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 10:20 PM
Subject: Re: [stella] OT: Programming
> > In any case, if a computer hasn't been built that can represent them,
then a
> > mathematical system hasn't been built that can represent them either.
>
> Of course it has. Mathematical systems have even been built -- and a
long,
> long, long time ago by the ancient Greeks -- which represent numbers that
> aren't real, but are irrational. This is not even to get into things like
Ummm... are we confusing "represent" for "calculate"? It's easy for a
computer to represent, say, one-third: "1/3". There. Now, if you want to
calculate the decimal equivalent, well that's a whole separate matter. Maybe
computers can't calculate things to infinite precision, but neither can
humans, so who are we to complain?
Or is there just something magical about some mathematical systems that it's
impossible to program their rules into a computer?
> at the front of your mind. Programmers are like grape vines. Those
> that produce the best results -- whether wine or software -- are
> the ones that have to fight to produce anything at all.
Of course, that also goes for the ones that produce the *worst* results. :)
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