Re: Floating point "precision"

[mcintosh |-at-| ccwf.cc.utexas.EDU (aubrey mcintosh)]

>    Hello, I have been trying to get some code running that has
 >    two subroutines that require "relative precision of floating
 >    point arithmetic". The subroutines are described below. Does
 >    anyone know this machine dependent parameter or how to find it?
 >    I'm running a SGI/220 and a SGI/25.
 >  <...>
 > internet		jpj |-at-| lotus.medicine.rochester.edu
 --------------------------------------------
 I use this in our Natural Representation of Real Numbers package.
 	 PROCEDURE SetDynamicRange*;
 		VAR
 			aux0, aux1	: REAL;
 	 BEGIN
 		 dynamicRange := 0;
 		 aux0 := 1.0; aux1 := aux0;
 		 LOOP
 			 aux0 := 10.0 * aux1;
 			 aux1 := aux0 + 1.0;
 			 IF aux0 = aux1
 			 THEN
 				EXIT
 			 END;
 			 INC( dynamicRange )
 		 END
 	 END	SetDynamicRange;
 --------------------------------------------
 Aubrey McIntosh
 chemistry department
 U.T.
 Austin, TX 78712