MathGroup Archive 2014

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Re: Possible bug in Floor function?

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg132353] Re: Possible bug in Floor function?
  • From: Richard Fateman <fateman at cs.berkeley.edu>
  • Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 23:04:55 -0500 (EST)
  • Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
  • Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@wolfram.com
  • Delivered-to: mathgroup-outx@smc.vnet.net
  • Delivered-to: mathgroup-newsendx@smc.vnet.net
  • References: <ldpd8v$6n8$1@smc.vnet.net>

On 2/15/2014 8:02 PM, Bill Rowe wrote:
> On 2/15/14 at 4:02 AM, s.nesseris at gmail.com (psycho_dad) wrote:
>
>> I think I may have stumbled upon a possible bug in Floor. Evaluating
>> the following gives the correct result:
>
>> Floor[Log[10, 100.]]
>> 2
>
>> Evaluating it with a replacement and //N gives a message and the
>> wrong result:
>
>> Floor[Log[10, x]] /. x -> 100 // N
>
>> 1
>
> The problem isn't with Floor. The issue is simply the usage of
> machine precision arithmetic. That is
>
> In[11]:= RealDigits[Log[10, x] /. x -> 100 // N]
>
> Out[11]= {{1,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9},1}
>
> As you can see, the result is just slightly less than 2. So, the
> result Floor returns is correct
>
>

The bug in not in Log, either.

4.605170185988092/2.302585092994046

appears to return 2, but
InputForm[%] is
1.9999999999999998

Those two numbers above  are InputForm[Log[100.]] and 
InputForm[Log[10.]], but that is incidental. They can be produced in 
other ways, including just typing them in.

The problem seems to be not that Mathematica cannot compute Floor.
It appears the problem is that Mathematica cannot divide.  :)




  • Prev by Date: Minimization problem
  • Next by Date: NMinimize problem
  • Previous by thread: Re: Possible bug in Floor function?
  • Next by thread: Minimization problem