A quick precision test

[Paul Dale]

(06-08-2014 02:07 PM)pito Wrote:  I would set the Double as the default setting and sell it as the "standard precision"..

This is not going to happen, single precision is solid and reliable and for the most part correctly rounded -- I don't currently know of any cases where it isn't but there will be some situations where the rounding goes the wrong way.

In double precision, this simply isn't true. The results of some functions aren't even accurate to all returned digits.

A calculator must be trustworthy first and foremost. Returning a wrong answer simply isn't acceptable. Double precision doesn't meet this.

Double precision was exposed to users primarily so that they could implement accurate keystroke programs for single precision.


- Pauli