From owner-freebsd-questions  Sat Jan 27 12:11:37 2001
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From: Salvo Bartolotta <bartequi@inwind.it>
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 20:14:02 GMT
Message-ID: <20010127.20140200@bartequi.ottodomain.org>
Subject: Re: hexidecimal literacy
To: Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>
Cc: "Mark B. Withers" <mwithers@one.net>, questions@freebsd.org
References: <14963.8033.752142.149320@guru.mired.org>
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Original Message <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

On 1/27/01, 8:20:01 PM, Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> wrote regarding Re:
hexidecimal literacy:


> Mark B. Withers <mwithers@one.net> types:
> > Oh gosh!
> >
> > I thought I understood it before, but looking at it like this
> > simplifies it dramaticly!!

> Just remember that this applies to interesting bases like 0, 1, Pi and=

> negative numbers :-).



Hello Mike,

Hmm, I am afraid you are exaggerating a bit :-)

<nit-picking mode>
1) a positional notation making use of negative bases looks very
awkward/impractical (you would have to utilize negative coefficients);
OTOH, when working with such a positional notation, you are supposed
to be working on N (ie the set of the "natural" numbers, or positive
integers); and to add to all this, there are a number of approaches to
the "construction" of N itself (Peano's, Cipolla's, the set theory
with all its subtle problems... cf Bourbaki[sm])

2) Pi, as "e" ~ 2.71828182..., is <gasp> a **trascendental** irrational
number (!). I let you guess what kind of coefficients you have to use
to generate integers.
</nit-picking mode>


Mathematics < manthano (~ I learn, aor. emathon) ;-)))

Best regards,
Salvo





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