Re: [q-lang-users] Unparse on Rationals

[Albert G. <Dr....@t-...>]

John Cowan wrote:
> Rob Hubbard scripsit:
> 
>>I wondered whether it would be preferable to present, for example:
>>
>>    3%1  as just  3
>>        The LHS has the advantage of looking like the rational it is
>>        The RHS is clearly simpler

No, I definitely have to oppose this. :) It should be clear to see that 
it is a rational number, so 3%1, not 3. For the same reason, a complex 
number is unparsed as X+Y*i even if Y is zero. (Currently I do simplify 
the case of a zero real part, though, in this case the number would be 
printed as just Y*i, but that also makes it clear that it's a complex 
number.)

>>    11%5  as  2+1%5
>>        The LHS is simpler this time
>>        The magnitude of the RHS more obvious (i.e. that it's "2 and a bit")
> 
> I definitely prefer the LHS in this case, because 2+1%5+3+2%5*i is
> completely misleading (or would it be parenthesized by the unparser?)

Yes the LHS, again. If you need a better format to see the magnitude, 
well that's what ratutils::str_mixed is for.

Albert

-- 
Dr. Albert Gr"af
Dept. of Music-Informatics, University of Mainz, Germany
Email:  Dr....@t-..., ag...@mu...
WWW:    http://www.musikinformatik.uni-mainz.de/ag