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Using Ruby as a Calculator
Created: 2024-04-10
The Ruby programming language makes a fantastic command line calculator.
I find it much more intuitive to use than tools like bc
or dc
.
Computers do integer math unless you tell them to do floating point math and many tools and languages reflect this:
bc - the "basic calculator":
$ bc 5 / 3.0 1
Note the integer math, despite dividing by a value with a decimal point.
dc - the RPN "desk calculator":
$ dc 5 3.0 / p 1
Same.
Ruby:
$ irb > 5 / 3.0 => 1.6666666666666667 > 5 / 3 => 1
As you can see, Ruby does what we expect when we give it an explicit floating-point
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