A number in newRPL is represented as exact or approximate. To enter a number as approximate use a trailing dot. To enter a number as exact omit any trailing dot. For routine arithmetic this distinction doesn't matter much, but it does come into play when evaluating symbolic expressions.

Here are some examples:

Arithmetic performed on numbers takes into account the operands (exact or approximate) and results are displayed accordingly.

For example, 1 3 / results in 0.333. (approximate), whereas 1 2 / results in 0.5 (exact).