----- Original Message ----- From: "David Hobby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 2:22 PM Subject: Re: Bases, was Re: Stirling engine queries
> > Am I wrong in thinking this? > > > > No, you're right. To first order, any base would work. > But there are some subtle reasons for prefering some bases over > others. Take -pi as a base, for instance. Then pi^2 - 3*pi > + 2*1 - 2*pi^(-1) + 2*pi^(-2) = 2.0108..., so we have that two > is 132.22... in base -pi. If you pick the wrong base, all the > numbers you care about will be infinite decimals. : ) > Which is the reason we strive for whole number intuitiveness. xponent Base Planks Constant Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
