ToC | DocOverview | CGDoc | RelNotes | Index | PermutedIndex
| Allegro CL

| 12 Numbers 12.1 Number Concepts 12.1.1 Numeric Operations 12.1.1.1 Associativity and Commutativity in Numeric Operations ### 12.1.1.1.1 Examples of Associativity and Commutativity in Numeric Operations Consider the following expression, in which we assume that `1.0` and `1.0e-15` both denote single floats:
     (+ 1/3 2/3 1.0d0 1.0 1.0e-15)
One conforming implementation might process the arguments from left to right, first adding `1/3` and `2/3` to get `1`, then converting that to a double float for combination with `1.0d0`, then successively converting and adding `1.0` and `1.0e-15`. Another conforming implementation might process the arguments from right to left, first performing a single float addition of `1.0` and `1.0e-15` (perhaps losing accuracy in the process), then converting the sum to a double float and adding `1.0d0`, then converting `2/3` to a double float and adding it, and then converting `1/3` and adding that. A third conforming implementation might first scan all the arguments, process all the rationals first to keep that part of the computation exact, then find an argument of the largest floating-point format among all the arguments and add that, and then add in all other arguments, converting each in turn (all in a perhaps misguided attempt to make the computation as accurate as possible). In any case, all three strategies are legitimate. A conforming program could control the order by writing, for example,
     (+ (+ 1/3 2/3) (+ 1.0d0 1.0e-15) 1.0)

© Franz Inc. All Rights Reserved - File last updated 2022-07-25