comparisons between floats and ratios

["Scott E. Fahlman" <Fahlman@C.CS.CMU.EDU>]

The phrase that Fateman spotted on page 194 occurs in the middle of a
discussion of FLOATING-POINT contagion rules.  I think there is no
suggestion, explicit or implicit, that as things currently stand this
rule is meant to cover other kinds of numbers.

Of course, it is legitimate to propose that we consider extending the
rule in this way.  After thinking about it a bit, I agree with Cassels
on this.  Coercing a float/rational operation to produce a rational is
certainly going to lead to a lot of needless inefficiency and confusion,
just to get rid of a paradox that most of us don't view as being
paradoxical at all.  And it just doesn't seem reasonable to me -- it's a
bit like trying to restore the number's virginity.

-- Scott