comparisons between floats and ratios

[Robert A. Cassels <Cassels@TENEX.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>]

    Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1986  10:42 EST
    From: "Scott E. Fahlman" <Fahlman@C.CS.CMU.EDU>


	A not-entirely-unrelated question:  What kind of rounding is FLOAT supposed
	to do?

    I think that the GOAL is to produce the closest approximation to the
    ratio that is possible in a given floating-point format.  That's what
    implementors should shoot for.  Whether it makes sense to REQUIRE this
    in the very last bit is less clear.  I don't think I've ever seen a
    floating-point package that got this right all the time.

You haven't looked at your 36xx lately, then.

    -- Scott