Use "quotient"? (was Re: proposed language change to int/int==float (was: PEP0238 lament))

[Manoj Plakal]

Manoj Plakal <plakal-nospam at nospam-cs.wisc.edu> wrote on Thursday 26 July 
2001 02:55:
>            - currently, the symbol `/' in Python programs signifies
>              two different operators depending on the arguments:
>                  - the QUOTIENT operator with 2 integer arguments
> 
>                  - the DIVISION operator with at least 1 float
>                    argument
> 
>            - the proposed change is to make '/' always signify the
>              DIVISION operator and '//' always signify the QUOTIENT
>              operator


        Forgot to add that in the future, when we do unify ints and longs
        and bring in rationals, then we again end up overloading the
        '/' operator to mean two things:

              - a constructor of rationals (with 2 integer arguments)

              - the DIVISION operator (with at least 1 float argument)

        Is this correct? Or maybe when we've unified everything into
        a single number type, these will actually be the same thing:
        you represent the number as a rational when you can and as
        a real number otherwise. It's still "division".

        I would be curious to know if other languages have a unified
        number type (Scheme? Smalltalk?) and how they handle the
        various operators and when to choose a certain representation
        (rational vs real).

        Manoj