Decimal Arithmetic
Decimal arithmetic is a mathematical system for performing calculations with decimal numbers (base-10), often using fixed-point or floating-point representations to handle fractional values. It is essential in financial, scientific, and engineering applications where precise decimal representation is critical to avoid rounding errors common in binary arithmetic. This concept underpins many programming language features, libraries, and hardware implementations for accurate decimal computations.
Developers should learn decimal arithmetic when working on applications involving money, taxes, or measurements that require exact decimal precision, as binary floating-point (e.g., IEEE 754) can introduce small errors due to base-2 representation. It is used in financial software, e-commerce systems, and data analysis tools to ensure compliance and accuracy. Mastery helps in selecting appropriate data types (e.g., decimal in C#, BigDecimal in Java) and avoiding pitfalls in calculations.