2.13. 2.13 An Introduction to Floating Point Arithmetic
Integer arithmetic does not let you represent fractional numeric values. Therefore, modern CPUs support an approximation of real arithmetic: floating point arithmetic. A big problem with floating point arithmetic is that it does not follow the standard rules of algebra. Nevertheless, many programmers apply normal algebraic rules when using floating point arithmetic. This is a source of defects in many programs. One of the primary goals of this section is to describe the limitations of floating point arithmetic so you will understand how to use it properly.
Normal algebraic rules apply only to infinite precision arithmetic. Consider the simple statement "x:=x+1," x is an integer. On any modern ...
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