Fractions v. Decimals

[Khandro]

Though I have seen U.K. motorway signs that read 'Exit 15, 2 1/3 miles' (which must cause puzzlement to foreign visitors), overall and since decimalization of the pound, we seem to abandon more and more the use of fractions which are often an inefficient means of mathmatical notation and lead to mathmatical infinities, for example, if you divide 10 by three in base ten you get 3.3 recurring (infinitely). Equally you could say that the answer is 3 1/3 with no infinite recurrence, - end of story! Why are modern scientists, mathematicians and everyone else so ready to abandon fractions ?

[ChuckFickens]

Because they don't fit well with using computers to calculate things.

(fractions probably do work better on road signs though, it would have to be a really wide road sign to fit 2,3333333333 recurring on it)

[Khandro]

But can't computers be programmed to work with fractions as well ? (Ha-ha to road signs)

[R1Geezer]

Complete bowlocks from chuck as usual. Computers work just as well with fractions which are only a sum in themselves, what we choose to call a third, 1/3 is simply a division sum, equally solluble to computers. On road signs 1/2, 1/4, 1/3 etc are clearer to all, even foriegners use maths notation in fact it is Maths that is the true universal language.

[mollykins]

Apart from in places like china where their numbers are completely different to ours.

[gingejbee]

Back to the motorway signs: when, and if, they are metricated, would you expect to see "10 1/2 kilometres" or "10.5 kilometres" . I prefer the latter.

[ChuckFickens]

now go and work out 3 and 3/5 + 7 and 5/11 on a calculator or a computer without using decimals.

[craft1948]

R1Geezer Complete bowlocks from chuck as usual

You having a laugh R1...............

[mccfluff]

ow chuck you're making my head hurt

[Count-A-Strong]

well, i know whos answer i prefer.

[ummmm]

Fcuking classic R1....you pleb.

[fredpuli47]

A third of a mile is an unusual fraction to choose for a road sign. We don't hear people talking of going a third of a mile,do we ? A third of eight furlongs? A third of 1,760 yards ? A 1/3 of a mile would puzzle everyone, not just foreigners ! Is this a common feature of road signs ?

[gingejbee]

I make it 11 and 3/55 .

[beso]

Actually computers don't handle decimals very well.

Unless special precautions are taken, trivial devisions that seem like they should give a whole number result will include a rounding error. This is because the computer works in binary.

To produce accuarate results numbers with decimal components have to be represented with integers and a scaling factor.

[steg]

http://www.google.co....a=&btnG=Google+Search

[mollykins]

chuck on paper i worked it out to be 8 and 88/165 (not sure if that cancels)

[mollykins]

oops I made a mistake.

[mollykins]

I multipled them wrong and ended up with wrong improper fractions

[Vagrant]

http://www.google.co....=&fp=2681f0dd6d9da3e6

[R1Geezer]

someone has already done it but you just type the expression into Google.

here's the COBOL equivalent (ie ancient language right??)
COMPUTE A = (3 + (3 / 5)) + (7 + (5 / 11))
Geddit
Why am I a pleb ummmmm? for being correct?

[R1Geezer]

Mollykins, china have different symbols as would aliens from the planet zog but what ever symbols you use Maths is universal, 2 + 2 = 4 in base 10, regardless of how you represent it.