17 Dec
2003
17 Dec
'03
11:17 p.m.
Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 15:04:04 -0400 From: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry@piermont.com>
Floating point systems are built to do approximate math on a very wide range of number sizes. Accounting systems require exact math -- down to the cent. Floats aren't suitable.
I completely agree. But are the usual fixed-point representations adequate for exchange rates, where it's not a matter of "down to the cent" but of ratios of cents and centimes? Is an exact representation of rationals (e.g., pairs of integers) needed?