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Subject: Re: Java oddity

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 20:11:47 09/09/02

Go up one level in this thread


On September 09, 2002 at 14:05:30, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:

>On September 09, 2002 at 13:32:42, Ed Panek wrote:
>
>use a different compiler. gcc 3.2 or something instead of 5 years old
>RH6.
>
>It's like me blaming m$ for bugs in windows NT 4.0 which is from 1995.


Same here.  This is _not_ a compiler bug.  It is a simply an artifact of
using floating point math.  Well-known to those of us that have done this
very much.



>
>Basically the problem of intel c++ is way simpler, let's just
>guess something:
>
>int myfunctionCORRELATIONtoINT(float a,float b,float c) {
>  bla bla with a,b,c; ...
>  return((int)(a*b+c));
>}
>
>Other compilers than intel c++ do not do it wrong.
>
>>Red Hat Linux release 6.0 (Hedwig)
>>Kernel 2.2.5-15 on an i686
>>
>>Here is just one example of unpredictable floating point behavior.  I ran the
>>following program on RH and on my Mac G4:
>>
>>#include <stdlib.h>
>>#include <stdio.h>
>>#include <math.h>
>>
>>void main( void )
>>{
>>  double a,b,c,d;
>>  double a_int, a_fract;
>>  double b_int, b_fract;
>>  double c_int, c_fract;
>>
>>  int i,j;
>>
>>  for( i = 8; i < 13; ++i )
>>  {
>>      a = (double)i;
>>      b = a / 1000.0;
>>
>>      d = 1000.0;
>>      c = b * d;
>>      j = (int)(b * d);
>>
>>
>>      a_fract = modf(a, &a_int);
>>      b_fract = modf(b, &b_int);
>>      c_fract = modf(c, &c_int);
>>
>>      printf("i = %d,  a = %35.30f,  b = %35.30f,  c = %35.30f, j =
>>%d\n",i,a,b,c,j);
>>      printf("a = %35.30f + %35.30f\n", a_int, a_fract);
>>      printf("b = %35.30f + %35.30f\n", b_int, b_fract);
>>      printf("c = %35.30f + %35.30f\n", c_int, c_fract);
>>
>>  }
>>
>>  return;
>>
>>}
>>
>>The output on RH is as follows:
>>
>>
>>
>>testit
>>i = 8,  a =    8.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.008000000000000000166533453694,  c =    8.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>8
>>a =    8.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.008000000000000000166533453694
>>c =    8.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 9,  a =    9.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.008999999999999999319988397417,  c =    9.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>8
>>a =    9.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.008999999999999999319988397417
>>c =    9.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 10,  a =   10.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.010000000000000000208166817117,  c =   10.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>10
>>a =   10.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.010000000000000000208166817117
>>c =   10.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 11,  a =   11.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.010999999999999999361621760841,  c =   11.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>10
>>a =   11.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.010999999999999999361621760841
>>c =   11.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>In the above case, the cast to int truncates and leaves the integer too small by
>>1 in some cases.  But, suprisingly, the modf() routine returns data that is
>>corrected for the error.
>> Where is the correction happenning?  In modf()?  By the CPU when the result is
>>stored back?
>>
>>On my mac, the CPU and/or libraries do some magic to correct this so that the
>>underlying data IS whole number data before the cast, or else the cast is very
>>smart.  In this case, the cast and the printf() agree.  I will note that it is
>>possible the compiler is very smart and factored the divide and multiply by 1000
>>out of the equation...  But I doubt it.
>>
>>Power PC G4 output:
>>
>>
>>testit
>>i = 8,  a =    8.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.008000000000000000166533453694,  c =    8.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>8
>>a =    8.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.008000000000000000166533453694
>>c =    8.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 9,  a =    9.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.008999999999999999319988397417,  c =    9.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>9
>>a =    9.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.008999999999999999319988397417
>>c =    9.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 10,  a =   10.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.010000000000000000208166817117,  c =   10.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>10
>>a =   10.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.010000000000000000208166817117
>>c =   10.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 11,  a =   11.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.010999999999999999361621760841,  c =   11.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>11
>>a =   11.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.010999999999999999361621760841
>>c =   11.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>i = 12,  a =   12.000000000000000000000000000000,  b =
>>0.012000000000000000249800180541,  c =   12.000000000000000000000000000000, j =
>>12
>>a =   12.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>b =    0.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.012000000000000000249800180541
>>c =   12.000000000000000000000000000000 +    0.000000000000000000000000000000
>>
>>
>>All very interesting to me...  But the bottom line is that floating point is
>>spooky.
>>
>>
>>Comments?
>>
>>
>>Ed



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