FRACTRAN: Programming with fractions

Need a surprising piece of math? In this workshop we will get to know the surprising language FRACTRAN, in which a program is nothing more than... a list of fractions. Today, computer calculations are performed in modern programming languages such as Python, C++ or Java, which are much more user-friendly than FRACTRAN. FRACTRAN is therefore not intended as an alternative for practical applications. Yet working out an algorithm in fractions does make you think about the fundamental workings of computers. During this workshop we look at some introductory examples, we learn the basic principles of programming and finally the students try to write some simple programs themselves.

Mathematics is hiding everywhere. With several of our workshops we want to show students that there is more to mathematics than the arithmetic exercises they may associate with mathematics lessons.