2001-04-14 02:23:20

by Joe

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: bug in float on Pentium

Not sure but I think I found a NEW bug.

I know that there have been some issues with pentiums and floating point
arrithmatic, but this takes the cake...

Linux Lserver.org 2.2.18 #43 SMP Fri Mar 9 14:19:41 EST 2001 i586
unknown

>kgcc --version
egcs-2.91.66

RH 6.2.x / 7.0

try this program

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

char tmpx[100];
char tmpy[100];

double x = 5483.99;
float y = 5483.99;

sprintf (tmpx, "%f",x );
sprintf (tmpy, "%f",y );

printf ("%s\n%s\n", tmpx, tmpy);
return 0;
}


I am getting the following as output

joeja@Lserver$ ./testf
5483.990000
5483.990234


what is with the .990234?? it should be .990000

any ideas on this??

--
Joe Acosta ........
home: [email protected]




2001-04-14 02:55:53

by Alan

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: bug in float on Pentium

> Not sure but I think I found a NEW bug.
> I know that there have been some issues with pentiums and floating point
> arrithmatic, but this takes the cake...

Hardly. Floats are inaccurate.


2001-04-14 03:01:25

by Jakob Oestergaard

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: bug in float on Pentium

On Fri, Apr 13, 2001 at 07:23:24PM -0400, Joe wrote:
> Not sure but I think I found a NEW bug.
>
> I know that there have been some issues with pentiums and floating point
> arrithmatic, but this takes the cake...
>
> Linux Lserver.org 2.2.18 #43 SMP Fri Mar 9 14:19:41 EST 2001 i586
> unknown
>
...
>
>
> I am getting the following as output
>
> joeja@Lserver$ ./testf
> 5483.990000
> 5483.990234
>
>
> what is with the .990234?? it should be .990000
>
> any ideas on this??
>

Your second number is a 32-bit float - which has roughly 7 digits of
precision. Just like your program output clearly shows.

(I do however fail to see the relevance of this to linux-kernel)

--
................................................................
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2001-04-14 06:03:24

by Jonathan Morton

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: bug in float on Pentium

> double x = 5483.99;
> float y = 5483.99;

>5483.990000
>5483.990234

Well, duh. Floats are less accurate than doubles, so what? Read your C
textbook again.

--------------------------------------------------------------
from: Jonathan "Chromatix" Morton
mail: [email protected] (not for attachments)
big-mail: [email protected]
uni-mail: [email protected]

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2001-04-15 06:01:54

by Matt Billenstein

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: bug in float on Pentium

It's not that you found a new bug or that floats are inaccurate (they are
just less exact than doubles)... For example, if you make your program
print some more digits, you'll get:

5483.98999999999978172127157449722290039062500000000000
5483.99023437500000000000000000000000000000000000000000

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

unsigned int *X;
unsigned int *Y;

double x = 5483.99;
float y = 5483.99;

X = (unsigned int *)&x;
Y = (unsigned int *)&y;

printf ("%60.50lf\n%60.50f\n", x, y);

printf("%lf %x%x %f %x\n", x, X[1], X[0], y, *Y);
return 0;
}

which you can verify by hand:

5483.990000 40b56bfd70a3d70a
0 10000001011 1.0101 0110 1011 1111 1101 0111 0000 1010 0011 1101 0111 0000
1010
+ 2^12 * 1.3388647460937499467092948179925 =
5483.989999999999781721271574497222900390625

5483.990234 45ab5fec
0 10001011 1.010 1011 0101 1111 1110 1100
+ 2^12 * 1.338864803314208984375 = 5489.990234375

check out:
http://www.psc.edu/general/software/packages/ieee/ieee.html

l8r

m


Matt Billenstein
mbillens (at) one (dot) net
http://w3.one.net/~mbillens/


----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2001 7:23 PM
Subject: bug in float on Pentium


| Not sure but I think I found a NEW bug.
|
| I know that there have been some issues with pentiums and floating point
| arrithmatic, but this takes the cake...
|
| Linux Lserver.org 2.2.18 #43 SMP Fri Mar 9 14:19:41 EST 2001 i586
| unknown
|
| >kgcc --version
| egcs-2.91.66
|
| RH 6.2.x / 7.0
|
| try this program
|
| #include <stdio.h>
|
| int main() {
|
| char tmpx[100];
| char tmpy[100];
|
| double x = 5483.99;
| float y = 5483.99;
|
| sprintf (tmpx, "%f",x );
| sprintf (tmpy, "%f",y );
|
| printf ("%s\n%s\n", tmpx, tmpy);
| return 0;
| }
|
|
| I am getting the following as output
|
| joeja@Lserver$ ./testf
| 5483.990000
| 5483.990234
|
|
| what is with the .990234?? it should be .990000
|
| any ideas on this??
|
| --
| Joe Acosta ........
| home: [email protected]
|
|
|
| -
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