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Numbers
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:
Approximate Numbers | Exact Numbers |
1. | 1 |
1.007. | 1.007 |
1.007.e-10 | 1.007e-10 |
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).