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2.15 Real Representations

To perform computations with the aid of digital computers we must build the reals out of a discrete system. Mathematicians have historically built up the reals with different approaches; this section details some of these approaches. Some of these approaches lead to mechanical algorithms which may be contrasted with the interval approach. Readers interested solely in the interval approach should proceed to the next chapter.


next up previous notation contents
Next: 2.15.1 Dedekind Cuts Up: 2 Numbers Previous: 2.14 Variants
Jeff TupperMarch 1996