Re: Re: Accuracy and Precision
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg37017] Re: [mg36983] Re: Accuracy and Precision
- From: Peter Kosta <pkosta2002 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 05:33:22 -0400 (EDT)
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
--- Daniel Lichtblau <danl at wolfram.com> wrote: > Peter Kosta wrote: > > > > The more I play with the example the more > depressing it gets. Start > > with floating point numbers but explicitly > arbitrary-precision ones. > > > > In[1]:= > > a=77617.00000000000000000000000000000; > > b=33095.00000000000000000000000000000; > > > > In[3]:= > > \!\(333.7500000000000000000000000000000\ b\^6 + > a\^2\ \((11\ a\^2\ > > b\^2 - \ > > b\^6 - 121\ b\^4 - 2)\) + > 5.500000000000000000000000000000\ b\^8 + > > a\/\(2\ > > b\)\) > > > > Out[3]= > > > \!\(\(-4.78339168666055402578083604864320577443814`26.6715*^32\)\) > > > > In[4]:= > > Accuracy[%] > > > > Out[4]= > > -6 > > > > Due to the manual section 3.1.6: > > > > "When you do calculations with arbitrary-precision > numbers, as > > discussed in the previous section, Mathematica > always keeps track of > > the precision of your results, and gives only > those digits which are > > known to be correct, given the precision of your > input. When you do > > calculations with machine-precision numbers, > however, Mathematica > > always gives you a machineprecision result, > whether or not all the > > digits in the result can, in fact, be determined > to be correct on the > > basis of your input. " > > > > Because I started with arbitrary-precision numbers > Mathematica should display > > only those digits that are correct, that is none. > > No, 26 digits are correct Here is the number: -0.8273960599468213681 Here is the same number computed by Mathematica with 26 "correct" digits: -4.78339168666055402578083604864320577443814×10^32 It looks like I have been using some wrong definition of "correct.":-) You just proved that Precision is useless as a measure how good your numerical result is. > (check Precision instead > of Accuracy to see > this). > > You appear to be showing output in InputForm. If you > use OutputForm or > StandardForm only 26 digits will be shown. > > 32 > Out[3]= -4.7833916866605540257808360 10 > > InputForm is showing more because it exposes "bad" > digits as well as > good ones. > > > > To relax a bit, set a new input cell to > StandardForm and type > > 77617.000000000000000000000000000000000 > > > > Convert it to InputForm. You get > > > 77616.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999952771`37.9031 > > > > Convert back to StandardForm > > > 77616.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999976637`37.9031 > > > > Again to InputForm > > > 77616.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999963735`37.9031 > > > > Back to StandardForm > > > 77616.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999951376`37.9031 > > > > See what you can get if you have enough patience > or a small program. > > > > PK > > Agreed, it's not very pretty. I am uncertain as to > whether this > indicates a bug in StandardForm or elsewhere in the > underlying numerics > code, and will defer to our numerics experts on that > issue. My guess is > it is a bug if only because it violates the spirit > of IEEE arithmetic > wherein floats that have integer values should be > representable as such > (or something to that effect). I will point out, > however, that the two > numbers in question are equal to the specified > precision. Also it > appears to be improved in our development kernel. > > > Daniel Lichtblau > Wolfram Research __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com