Unexpected Fraction Parsing

[eric1234]

Unexpected:

NumbersInWords.in_numbers("three and a half")  # => 15.5

Weird maybe it's something with a three not being understood since it got the half right.

NumbersInWords.in_numbers("four and a half")  # => 20.5

Nope that is not it. But just a half works:

NumbersInWords.in_numbers("half") #  => 0.5

Must be the filler words:

NumbersInWords.in_numbers("a half") #  => 0.5
NumbersInWords.in_numbers("and a half")   # => 0.5

Not without half:

NumbersInWords.in_numbers("three and")   #   => 3
NumbersInWords.in_numbers("three and a")   #  => 31

Ah, now we are getting somewhere. So it's getting 31 then multiplying it by 0.5 to get 15.5? Maybe related to a?. Let's try taking the a out:

NumbersInWords.in_numbers("three and half")   # => 1.5

Well, now it's not getting 31 but still multiplying by 0.5 instead of appending. This leads me to the questions:

• Why does the filler words turn it into 31? - Looks like a is turns into 1 as an alias. So it parses this as the words "three" "one" "half". OK, at least 31 makes sense as it thinks I'm reading each number out?
• Why multiply it by 0.5 instead of add? - Looks like that is just what the code tells it to do if a fraction is involved.

So the parsing looks intentional and not a bug. So maybe the text I'm trying to give it is just not supported?