CasNum (Compass and straightedge Number) is a library that implements arbitrary precision arithmetic using compass and straightedge constructions. Arbitrary precision arithmetic, now with 100% more Euclid. Featuring a functional modified Game Boy emulator where every ALU opcode is implemented entirely through geometric constructions.

I’m sorry, what?

This project began with a simple compass-and-straightedge 'engine', […]. In compass-and-straightedge constructions, one start with just two points: The origin, and a unit. Exactly as God intended.

Still what?!

#Philosophy

Most modern developers are content with a + b. They don't want to work for it. They don't want to see the midpoint being birthed from the intersection of two circles. CasNum is for the developer who believes that if you didn't have to solve a 4th-degree polynomial just to increment a loop counter, you didn't really increment it.

This is pretty amazing, and just what I needed to see today. The FAQ is great too. Actually, the whole README is great.

If you don’t know what’s going on, you can watch the following YouTube video: The Simplest Ancient Math Problem No One Could Solve. I learned a bunch, but I probably only understood a quarter of what was being said.

Note: I’ve tried running CasNum on my Mac, but got a bunch of Python errors when trying to bring up the UI. I suspect this is only for Windows. The little movie on the project page shows it in action however, sped up quite a bit.

Via hn.