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.\" ========================================================================
.\"
.IX Title "Number::Fraction 3pm"
.TH Number::Fraction 3pm "2019-02-22" "perl v5.28.1" "User Contributed Perl Documentation"
.\" For nroff, turn off justification.  Always turn off hyphenation; it makes
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.nh
.SH "NAME"
Number::Fraction \- Perl extension to model fractions
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.IX Header "SYNOPSIS"
.Vb 1
\&  use Number::Fraction;
\&
\&  my $f1 = Number::Fraction\->new(1, 2);
\&  my $f2 = Number::Fraction\->new(\*(Aq1/2\*(Aq);
\&  my $f3 = Number::Fraction\->new($f1); # clone
\&  my $f4 = Number::Fraction\->new; # 0/1
.Ve
.PP
or
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  use Number::Fraction \*(Aq:constants\*(Aq;
\&
\&  my $f1 = \*(Aq1/2\*(Aq;
\&  my $f2 = $f1;
\&
\&  my $one = $f1 + $f2;
\&  my $half = $one \- $f1;
\&  print $half; # prints \*(Aq1/2\*(Aq
.Ve
.SH "ABSTRACT"
.IX Header "ABSTRACT"
Number::Fraction is a Perl module which allows you to work with fractions
in your Perl programs.
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.IX Header "DESCRIPTION"
Number::Fraction allows you to work with fractions (i.e. rational
numbers) in your Perl programs in a very natural way.
.PP
It was originally written as a demonstration of the techniques of 
overloading.
.PP
If you use the module in your program in the usual way
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  use Number::Fraction;
.Ve
.PP
you can then create fraction objects using \f(CW\*(C`Number::Fraction\-\*(C'\fRnew> in
a number of ways.
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  my $f1 = Number::Fraction\->new(1, 2);
.Ve
.PP
creates a fraction with a numerator of 1 and a denominator of 2.
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  my $f2 = Number::Fraction\->new(\*(Aq1/2\*(Aq);
.Ve
.PP
does the same thing but from a string constant.
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  my $f3 = Number::Fraction\->new($f1);
.Ve
.PP
makes \f(CW$f3\fR a copy of \f(CW$f1\fR
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  my $f4 = Number::Fraction\->new; # 0/1
.Ve
.PP
creates a fraction with a denominator of 0 and a numerator of 1.
.PP
If you use the alterative syntax of
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  use Number::Fraction \*(Aq:constants\*(Aq;
.Ve
.PP
then Number::Fraction will automatically create fraction objects from
string constants in your program. Any time your program contains a 
string constant of the form \f(CW\*(C`\ed+/\ed+\*(C'\fR then that will be automatically
replaced with the equivalent fraction object. For example
.PP
.Vb 1
\&  my $f1 = \*(Aq1/2\*(Aq;
.Ve
.PP
Having created fraction objects you can manipulate them using most of the
normal mathematical operations.
.PP
.Vb 2
\&  my $one = $f1 + $f2;
\&  my $half = $one \- $f1;
.Ve
.PP
Additionally, whenever a fraction object is evaluated in a string
context, it will return a string in the format x/y. When a fraction
object is evaluated in a numerical context, it will return a floating
point representation of its value.
.PP
Fraction objects will always \*(L"normalise\*(R" themselves. That is, if you
create a fraction of '2/4', it will silently be converted to '1/2'.
.SS "Experimental Support for Exponentiation"
.IX Subsection "Experimental Support for Exponentiation"
Version 1.13 of Number::Fraction adds experimental support for exponentiation
operations. If a Number::Fraction object is used as the left hand operand of
an exponentiation expression then the value returned will be another
Number::Fraction object \- if that makes sense. In all other cases, the
expression returns a real number.
.PP
Currently this only works if the right hand operand is an integer (or
a Number::Fraction object that has a denominator of 1). Later I hope to
extend this so support so that a Number::Fraction object is returned
whenever the result of the expression is a rational number.
.PP
For example:
.PP
.Vb 4
\&  \*(Aq1/2\*(Aq ** 2 #   Returns a Number::Fraction (\*(Aq1/4\*(Aq)
\&  \*(Aq2/1\*(Aq ** \*(Aq2/1\*(Aq Returns a Number::Fraction (\*(Aq4/1\*(Aq)
\&  \*(Aq2/1\*(Aq ** \*(Aq1/2\*(Aq Returns a real number (1.414213)
\&   0.5  ** \*(Aq2/1\*(Aq Returns a real number (0.25)
.Ve
.SS "Version 2: Now With Added Moose"
.IX Subsection "Version 2: Now With Added Moose"
Version 2 of Number::Fraction has been reimplemented using Moose. You should
see very little difference in the way that the class works. The only difference
I can see is that \f(CW\*(C`new\*(C'\fR used to return \f(CW\*(C`undef\*(C'\fR if it couldn't create a valid
object from its arguments, it now dies. If you aren't sure of the values that
are being passed into the constructor, then you'll want to call it within an
\&\f(CW\*(C`eval { ... }\*(C'\fR block (or using something equivalent like Try::Tiny).
.SH "METHODS"
.IX Header "METHODS"
.SS "import"
.IX Subsection "import"
Called when module is \f(CW\*(C`use\*(C'\fRd. Use to optionally install constant
handler.
.SS "unimport"
.IX Subsection "unimport"
Be a good citizen and uninstall constant handler when caller uses
\&\f(CW\*(C`no Number::Fraction\*(C'\fR.
.SS "\s-1BUILDARGS\s0"
.IX Subsection "BUILDARGS"
Parameter massager for Number::Fraction object. Takes the following kinds of
parameters:
.IP "\(bu" 4
A single Number::Fraction object which is cloned.
.IP "\(bu" 4
A string in the form 'x/y' where x and y are integers. x is used as the
numerator and y is used as the denominator of the new object.
.IP "\(bu" 4
Two integers which are used as the numerator and denominator of the
new object.
.IP "\(bu" 4
A single integer which is used as the numerator of the the new object.
The denominator is set to 1.
.IP "\(bu" 4
No arguments, in which case a numerator of 0 and a denominator of 1
are used.
.PP
Dies if a Number::Fraction object can't be created.
.SS "\s-1BUILD\s0"
.IX Subsection "BUILD"
Object initialiser for Number::Fraction. Ensures that fractions are in a
normalised format.
.SS "to_string"
.IX Subsection "to_string"
Returns a string representation of the fraction in the form
\&\*(L"numerator/denominator\*(R".
.SS "to_num"
.IX Subsection "to_num"
Returns a numeric representation of the fraction by calculating the sum
numerator/denominator. Normal caveats about the precision of floating
point numbers apply.
.SS "add"
.IX Subsection "add"
Add a value to a fraction object and return a new object representing the
result of the calculation.
.PP
The first parameter is a fraction object. The second parameter is either
another fraction object or a number.
.SS "mult"
.IX Subsection "mult"
Multiply a fraction object by a value and return a new object representing
the result of the calculation.
.PP
The first parameter is a fraction object. The second parameter is either
another fraction object or a number.
.SS "subtract"
.IX Subsection "subtract"
Subtract a value from a fraction object and return a new object representing
the result of the calculation.
.PP
The first parameter is a fraction object. The second parameter is either
another fraction object or a number.
.SS "div"
.IX Subsection "div"
Divide a fraction object by a value and return a new object representing
the result of the calculation.
.PP
The first parameter is a fraction object. The second parameter is either
another fraction object or a number.
.SS "exp"
.IX Subsection "exp"
Raise a Number::Fraction object to a power.
.PP
The first argument is a number fraction object. The second argument is
another Number::Fraction object or a number. If the second argument is
an integer or a Number::Fraction object containing an integer then the
value returned is a Number::Fraction object, otherwise the value returned
is a real number.
.SS "abs"
.IX Subsection "abs"
Returns a copy of the given object with both the numerator and
denominator changed to positive values.
.SS "\s-1EXPORT\s0"
.IX Subsection "EXPORT"
None by default.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.IX Header "SEE ALSO"
perldoc overload
.SH "AUTHOR"
.IX Header "AUTHOR"
Dave Cross, <dave@mag\-sol.com>
.SH "COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE"
.IX Header "COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE"
Copyright 2002\-8 by Dave Cross
.PP
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the same terms as Perl itself.