Non-integer base of numeration
Non-integer base of numeration
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Non-integer base of numeration

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Non-integer base of numeration

A non-integer representation uses non-integer numbers as the radix, or base, of a positional numeral system. For a non-integer radix β > 1, the value of

is

The numbers di are non-negative integers less than β. This is also known as a β-expansion, a notion introduced by Rényi (1957) and first studied in detail by Parry (1960). Every real number has at least one (possibly infinite) β-expansion. The set of all β-expansions that have a finite representation is a subset of the ring Z[β, β−1].

There are applications of β-expansions in coding theory and models of quasicrystals.

β-expansions are a generalization of decimal expansions. While infinite decimal expansions are not unique (for example, 1.000... = 0.999...), all finite decimal expansions are unique. However, even finite β-expansions are not necessarily unique, for example φ + 1 = φ2 for β = φ, the golden ratio. A canonical choice for the β-expansion of a given real number can be determined by the following greedy algorithm, essentially due to Rényi (1957) and formulated as given here by Frougny (1992).

Let β > 1 be the base and x a non-negative real number. Denote by x the floor function of x (that is, the greatest integer less than or equal to x) and let {x} = x − ⌊x be the fractional part of x. There exists an integer k such that βkx < βk+1. Set

and

For k − 1 ≥  j > −∞, put

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