8. A computer-implemented method for providing a common generic interface with overflow detection comprising the steps of: providing a statically typed software development language that implements, in the logic of a computing device, a public arithmetic class having an object model that includes a public generic interface that defines basic arithmetic operations and that allows basic arithmetic operations to be performed on a plurality of numeric types, the public generic interface being implementable by the plurality of numeric types, a public arithmetic descriptor class that describes the numeric properties of each of the plurality of numeric types implementing the public generic interface, and an arithmetic capabilities enumeration used by the public arithmetic descriptor class that includes mathematical properties that can be retrieved for each of the plurality of numeric types implementing the public generic interface; receiving a request to perform an operation on a particular one of the numeric types; determining whether a result of the operation will create an overflow situation when the operation does not fit within a range supported by the particular one of the numeric types; and changing, using the public generic interface, to a second one of the numeric types if the result of the operation does not fit within the range supported by the particular one of the numeric types.
8. A computer-implemented method for providing a common generic interface with overflow detection comprising the steps of: providing a statically typed software development language that implements, in the logic of a computing device, a public arithmetic class having an object model that includes a public generic interface that defines basic arithmetic operations and that allows basic arithmetic operations to be performed on a plurality of numeric types, the public generic interface being implementable by the plurality of numeric types, a public arithmetic descriptor class that describes the numeric properties of each of the plurality of numeric types implementing the public generic interface, and an arithmetic capabilities enumeration used by the public arithmetic descriptor class that includes mathematical properties that can be retrieved for each of the plurality of numeric types implementing the public generic interface; receiving a request to perform an operation on a particular one of the numeric types; determining whether a result of the operation will create an overflow situation when the operation does not fit within a range supported by the particular one of the numeric types; and changing, using the public generic interface, to a second one of the numeric types if the result of the operation does not fit within the range supported by the particular one of the numeric types. 19. The method of claim 8 , wherein the public arithmetic descriptor class is operable to allow one or more mathematical properties to be retrieved for a particular one of the numeric types being used in a particular circumstance.