> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Randall ... > I agree an alternative approach could work. However, the > scenario in which a region is transformed so that part of its > boundary is a branch cut is both common and the place for > maximal error as you approach the boundary. The inclusion of > +/-0 in the IEEE standard was inspired by this kind of > consideration, and Kahan is apoplectic that it is ignored in > many languages used for numerical analysis, despite hardware > support. Having language support for this eliminates a lot > of work-arounds and naive errors. > > It is impossible to get a perfect model of the complex > numbers on a computer. Kahan's suggestion addresses an > important recurring problem. >
Embrace, as oppose to eradicate, seems to be the way; but, I am afraid "This is like deja vu all over again." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
