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From: bean@putter.wpd.sgi.com (Bean Anderson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: more on TRUE and FALSE (sorry) with JOKES
Message-ID: <1990Sep17.185417.15066@relay.wpd.sgi.com>
Date: 17 Sep 90 18:54:17 GMT
References: <9@christmas.UUCP>
Sender: news@relay.wpd.sgi.com ( CNews Account )
Reply-To: bean@putter.wpd.sgi.com (Bean Anderson)
Organization: Silicon Graphics Inc.
Lines: 34

In article <9@christmas.UUCP>, rtm@christmas.UUCP (Richard Minner) writes:
|> 
|> This whole discussion of #defining TRUE and FALSE reminded me
|> of one of my favorite fortunes of all time:
|> 
|>   The primary purpose of the DATA statement is to give names to
|>   constants; instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every
|>   appearance, the variable PI can be given that value with a DATA
|>   statement and used instead of the longer form of the constant.  This
|>   also simplifies modifying the program, should the value of pi change.
|> 		-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers
|> 
|> I've read it a dozen times or more and it still makes me laugh.
|> 
|

I too laughed at this and then, feeling charitable, realized it was 
possible that the author had more insight than we have given him/her
credit.  

You see, we often forget that floating point numbers are *not* 
REAL numbers, in the mathematical meaning of REAL numbers; they
are, at best, a gross approximation.  Therefore, while the value
of pi will never change, the representation of it can easily 
change from machine to machine depending upon the degree of
accuracy available.  

I kind of doubt this was the author's concern; but I had a nice
weekend, the sun was out in San Francisco, I got paid when a lot
of people in other companies are being laid off, and no
disasters were waiting for me this Monday morning.....


			Bean