POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.programming : solving polynomials Server Time
12 Dec 2024 11:09:04 EST (-0500)
  solving polynomials (Message 1 to 5 of 5)  
From: robfi680
Subject: solving polynomials
Date: 20 Oct 2016 03:40:00
Message: <web.580874a6f9e539ccf4af9d600@news.povray.org>
I was just looking at the source code for POVRay 3.7 for solving polynomials. In
the default case for Solve_Polynomial it looks to me like it solves the
polynomial twice for orders higher than four when a root is eliminated. I am
trying to understand the code for my own use. Could there be a break statement
missing ? Otherwise why does it solve for order n-1 and then n ?

The code looks like:
  default:

   if (epsilon > 0.0)
   {
    if ((c[n-1] != 0.0) && (fabs(c[n]/c[n-1]) < epsilon))
    {
     Thread->Stats()[Roots_Eliminated]++;

     roots = polysolve(n-1, c, r);
    }
   }

   /* Solve n-th order polynomial. */

   roots = polysolve(n, c, r);

   break;


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From: Le Forgeron
Subject: Re: solving polynomials
Date: 20 Oct 2016 14:02:44
Message: <580906c4@news.povray.org>
Le 20/10/2016 à 09:39, robfi680 a écrit :
> I was just looking at the source code for POVRay 3.7 for solving polynomials. In
> the default case for Solve_Polynomial it looks to me like it solves the
> polynomial twice for orders higher than four when a root is eliminated. I am
> trying to understand the code for my own use. Could there be a break statement
> missing ? Otherwise why does it solve for order n-1 and then n ?
> 
> The code looks like:
>   default:
> 
>    if (epsilon > 0.0)
>    {
>     if ((c[n-1] != 0.0) && (fabs(c[n]/c[n-1]) < epsilon))
>     {
>      Thread->Stats()[Roots_Eliminated]++;
> 
>      roots = polysolve(n-1, c, r);
>     }
>    }
> 
>    /* Solve n-th order polynomial. */
> 
>    roots = polysolve(n, c, r);
> 
>    break;
> 
> 
> 

The interesting part is that master branch is already corrected : yes, a
break is/was missing.

Now, it only occurs for 5th and more order polynomial, something that is
rarely seen.

The correction was done on 8th September 2016, found by static code
analysis.


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From: Le Forgeron
Subject: Re: solving polynomials
Date: 20 Oct 2016 14:13:09
Message: <58090935$1@news.povray.org>
Le 20/10/2016 à 20:02, Le_Forgeron a écrit :
> Le 20/10/2016 à 09:39, robfi680 a écrit :
>> I was just looking at the source code for POVRay 3.7 for solving polynomials. In
>> the default case for Solve_Polynomial it looks to me like it solves the
>> polynomial twice for orders higher than four when a root is eliminated. I am
>> trying to understand the code for my own use. Could there be a break statement
>> missing ? Otherwise why does it solve for order n-1 and then n ?
>>
>> The code looks like:
>>   default:
>>
>>    if (epsilon > 0.0)
>>    {
>>     if ((c[n-1] != 0.0) && (fabs(c[n]/c[n-1]) < epsilon))
>>     {
>>      Thread->Stats()[Roots_Eliminated]++;
>>
>>      roots = polysolve(n-1, c, r);
>>     }
>>    }
>>
>>    /* Solve n-th order polynomial. */
>>
>>    roots = polysolve(n, c, r);
>>
>>    break;
>>
>>
>>
> 
> The interesting part is that master branch is already corrected : yes, a
> break is/was missing.
> 
> Now, it only occurs for 5th and more order polynomial, something that is
> rarely seen.
> 
> The correction was done on 8th September 2016, found by static code
> analysis.
> 

On second look, I'm not even sure the break is at the right place...
Christoph ?

            if (epsilon > 0.0)
            {
                if ((c[n-1] != 0.0) && (fabs(c[n]/c[n-1]) < epsilon))
                {
                    stats[Roots_Eliminated]++;

                    roots = polysolve(n-1, c, r);
                }

                break;
            }

            /* Solve n-th order polynomial. */

            roots = polysolve(n, c, r);

            break;


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From: clipka
Subject: Re: solving polynomials
Date: 20 Oct 2016 18:07:00
Message: <58094004@news.povray.org>
Am 20.10.2016 um 20:13 schrieb Le_Forgeron:

> On second look, I'm not even sure the break is at the right place...
> Christoph ?

Dang. I think it indeed isn't.


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From: Cousin Ricky
Subject: Re: solving polynomials
Date: 22 Oct 2016 00:15:01
Message: <web.580ae75eb6ddb1823750ad290@news.povray.org>
Le_Forgeron <jgr### [at] freefr> wrote:
> Now, it only occurs for 5th and more order polynomial, something that is
> rarely seen.

I've used 8th order in the past, and there's a significant chance that I will
again in the future.


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