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Real Number

What Does Real Number Mean?

A real number is any positive or negative number available within the entire mathematical range of numbers. Real numbers include whole numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers and virtually any type of number that is not an imaginary number or that can’t be computed or processed logically.

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Real numbers have a significant importance in the field of computer science. Computers use some types of real numbers, specifically floating point numbers, which are used to store a wide range of numbers within a finite limit of decimal points, making them easier to compute.

Techopedia Explains Real Number

Because real numbers are virtually limitless, a computer can compute on only those numbers that have predefined algorithms.

The performance of scientific software is often measured in floating point operations per second.

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