Re: A sample revised prelude for numeric classes

12 Feb 2001

      At 2001-02-11 21:18, Tom Pledger wrote:
...
The main complication is that the type system needs to deal with
integer exponents of dimensions, if it's to do the job well.
Very occasionally non-integer or 'fractal' exponents of dimensions are 
useful. For instance, geographic coastlines can be measured in km ^ n, 
where 1 <= n < 2. This doesn't stop the CIA world factbook listing all 
coastline lengths in straight kilometres, however.

More unit weirdness occurs with logarithms. For instance, if y and x are 
distances, log (y/x) = log y - log x. Note that 'log x' is some number + 
log (metre). Strange, huh?

Interestingly, in C++ you can parameterise types by values. For instance:

--
// Mass, Length and Time
template 
class Unit
     {
     public:
     double mValue;

     inline explicit Unit(double value)
          {
          mValue = value;
          }
     };

template 
Unit operator + (Unit a,Unit b)
     {
     return Unit(a.mValue + b.mValue);
     }

template 
Unit operator * (Unit a,Unit b)
     {
     return Unit(a.mValue * b.mValue);
     }

// etc.

int main()
     {
     Unit<0,1,0> oneMetre(1);
     Unit<0,1,0> twoMetres = oneMetre + oneMetre;
     Unit<0,2,0> oneSquareMetre = oneMetre * oneMetre;
     }
--

Can you do this sort of thing in Haskell?

-- 
Ashley Yakeley, Seattle WA