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From: Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Integral types and own type definitions (was Re: Suggested method for returning a string from a C program?)
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:16:31 -0700
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James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> writes:
> On 3/25/25 16:41, Keith Thompson wrote:
> ...
>> Real numbers and floating-point numbers have different meanings, both in
>> C and in general.
>
> One of the key differences is that all floating point numbers are
> rational (except for the special values that mean various kinds of
> infinity, and NaNs). Real numbers include the rational numbers and the
> irrational ones. Just to confuse the point, some languages use "REAL" to
> declare floating point variables.

C defines a concept of "real types", which covers integer and floating
types (and excludes complex and imaginary types -- BTW imaginary types
are going away).  C's real types are very different from mathematical
real numbers; all C real non-special values are mathematical rational
values.  There are only finitely many values of real types in (any
implementation of) C.

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */