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When is the last time you had a use for exactly 1/12 oranges? "some bit more than 5" is plenty of precision for nearly any conceivable situation in which your
by lurker14 15y ago
When is the last time you had a use for exactly 1/12 oranges?
"some bit more than 5" is plenty of precision for nearly any conceivable situation in which your example could appear.
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Significant_figures https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Significant_f...
- run4yourlives 15y agoI think you misunderstood my example. My point was that knowing that there is 5 1/12 oranges (as opposed to 5) is the important precision, and it works logically to a child's mind. It's quite a bit more complex to expect the child to discard the 1/12 and suggest there are 5 oranges. It's not that the 1/12 is useful for anything, it's the fact that it exists, and is accounted for.