Talk:Arbitrary-precision integers (included): Difference between revisions
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Is the use of “precision” appropriate? To me, “precision” suggests ''fractional'' digits (to the right of the decimal[-or-binary] point). —[[User:Kevin Reid|Kevin Reid]] 12:55, 13 February 2010 (UTC) |
Is the use of “precision” appropriate? To me, “precision” suggests ''fractional'' digits (to the right of the decimal[-or-binary] point). —[[User:Kevin Reid|Kevin Reid]] 12:55, 13 February 2010 (UTC) |
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:Hi Kevin, I've heard it used colloquially as "the number of digits of precision of an integer", and also shortened to just "the number of digits". I guess, because we are dealing with integers which are usually thought of as without an exponent then the "range" of an integer might be used instead, but the [[wp:Arbitrary-precision arithmetic|wp article]] uses precision when speaking of integers: |
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::''"In computer science, arbitrary-precision arithmetic is a technique whereby calculations are performed on numbers whose digits of precision are limited only by the available memory of the host system. This contrasts with the faster fixed-precision arithmetic found in most ALU hardware, which typically offers between 6 and 16 decimal digits. It is also called bignum arithmetic, and sometimes even "infinite-precision arithmetic" (which is a misnomer, since the number of digits is both finite and bounded in practice)."'' |
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: --[[User:Paddy3118|Paddy3118]] 16:54, 13 February 2010 (UTC) |
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