Re: [Scheme-reports] Padding/placeholders (hashes) in numerical syntax

[John Cowan <cowan@x>]

Peter Bex scripsit:

> Absolutely; I was wondering how it decides to print 3/4 as 750.0e-3
> considering 7.5e-1 is equally acceptable, as is 0.75 or 75e-2 or any
> other exponent prefixed by a suitably scaled number.

Making sure the exponent is always a multiple of 3 provides a
representation aligned with the SI prefixes: if you know that 750.0e-3
is a duration, you can immediately see that it's 750 milliseconds.
Nobody talks about "7.5 deciseconds".

-- 
John Cowan   cowan@x    http://ccil.org/~cowan
[R]eversing the apostolic precept to be all things to all men, I usually [before
Darwin] defended the tenability of the received doctrines, when I had to do
with the [evolution]ists; and stood up for the possibility of [evolution] among
the orthodox --thereby, no doubt, increasing an already current, but quite
undeserved, reputation for needless combativeness.  --T. H. Huxley

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