D. E. Hull
Abstract
The purpose of this talk is to summarize proposed specifications for floating-point arithmetic and elementary functions. The topics considered are: the base of the number system, precision control, number representation, arithmetic operations, other basic operations, elementary functions, and exception handling. The possibility of doing with-out fixed-point arithmetic is also mentioned.
The specifications are intended to be entirely at the level of a programming language such as Fortran. The emphasis is on convenience and simplicity from the user's point of view. Conforming to such specifications would have obvious beneficial implications for the portability of numerical software, and for proving programs correct, as well as attempting to provide facilities which are most suitable for the user. The specifications are not complete in every detail, but it is intended that they be complete “in spirit” - some further details, especially syntactic details, would have to be provided, but the proposals are otherwise relatively complete.
- 1 T.E. Hull, "Semantics of Floating Point Arithmetic and Elementary Functions", Portabillty of Numerical Software (ed. W.R. Cowell), Springer-Verlag, N.Y., 1977, pp.37-48. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- 2 T.E. Hull end J.J. Hofbauer, "Language Facilities for Multiple Precision Floating Point Computation, with Examples, and the Description of a Preprocessor", Tech. Rep. No.63, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Univ. of Toronto (1974).Google Scholar
- 3 T.E. Hull and J.J. Hofbauer, "Language Facilities for Numerical Computation", Mathematical Proceedings of the ACM-SIAM Conf. on Mathematical Software II (ed. John R. Rice), Academic Press, N.Y. 1977, Proceedings of the ACM-SIAM Conf. on Mathematical Software II, Purdue Univ. (1974), pp.1-18.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Desirable floating-point arithmetic and elementary functions for numerical computation
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Desirable floating-point arithmetic and elementary functions for numerical computation
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