Re: OT: Need help with numeric bases

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> AFAIK they had only fractions of integer values, no decimal numbers or anything
> alike. They even used 22/7 for Pi!
Just so, which is why the discovery that sqrt(2) was irrational was kept
secret by the Pythagoreans.

An even better simple approximation to pi is 355/113, good to 6 decimal
places, as opposed to 22/7 which is good for only 2.  When explaining
Common Lisp's rational number data type on another mailing list, I used
355/113 as my example fraction, and got back a private mail saying
"It's amazing how a simple fraction can communicate so much emotion
between people."

--
John Cowan                              <jcowan@...>
http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              http://www.reutershealth.com
                Charles li reis, nostre emperesdre magnes,
                Set anz totz pleinz ad ested in Espagnes.