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(libc.info)Floating Type Macros

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Floating Type Macros
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   The specific representation of floating point numbers varies from
machine to machine.  Because floating point numbers are represented
internally as approximate quantities, algorithms for manipulating
floating point data often need to take account of the precise details of
the machine's floating point representation.

   Some of the functions in the C library itself need this information;
for example, the algorithms for printing and reading floating point
numbers (Note: I/O on Streams) and for calculating trigonometric and
irrational functions (Note: Mathematics) use it to avoid round-off
error and loss of accuracy.  User programs that implement numerical
analysis techniques also often need this information in order to
minimize or compute error bounds.

   The header file `float.h' describes the format used by your machine.

Floating Point Concepts

Definitions of terminology.

Floating Point Parameters

Details of specific macros.

IEEE Floating Point

The measurements for one common

representation.