On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 12:59 PM, Carl Banks <pavlovevide...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Sunday, May 29, 2011 7:53:59 PM UTC-7, Chris Angelico wrote: >> Okay, here's a question. The Python 'float' value - is it meant to be >> "a Python representation of an IEEE double-precision floating point >> value", or "a Python representation of a real number"? > > The former. Unlike the case with integers, there is no way that I know of to > represent an abstract real number on a digital computer.
This seems peculiar. Normally Python seeks to define its data types in the abstract and then leave the concrete up to the various implementations - note, for instance, how Python 3 has dispensed with 'int' vs 'long' and just made a single 'int' type that can hold any integer. Does this mean that an implementation of Python on hardware that has some other type of floating point must simulate IEEE double-precision in all its nuances? I'm glad I don't often need floating point numbers. They can be so annoying! Chris Angelico -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list