POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.off-topic : Double precision : Re: Double precision Server Time
7 Sep 2024 03:22:49 EDT (-0400)
  Re: Double precision  
From: Orchid XP v8
Date: 24 Aug 2008 13:25:29
Message: <48b19989@news.povray.org>
Chambers wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>> Unfortunately Wikipedia doesn't seem to have much to say about double 
>> precision floating point arithmetic. Can anybody tell me what the 
>> smallest (positive) number you can "reliably" take the reciprocol of 
>> is? ("Reliably" as in "with some degree of numerical precision".)
>>
> 
> 2^-1022, I believe.  This is the smallest positive number that can be 
> represented by a double.

Is that a normal or a denormal? (If I'm understanding this correctly, 
denormals are less precise.)

Also, I guess the reciprocol of that ought to be 2^1022. Is that also 
within range?

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*


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