[Numpy-discussion] Off-Topic 754 question (was RE: Possible bug (was Re: numpy, overflow, inf, ieee, and rich comparison)

[Jonathan M. Gilligan]

This is a bit off-topic, but I noticed that there are lots of experts here 
and I have a question about IEEE-754 that has been bugging me for some time 
and which I was not able to get a good answer for on the USENET newsgroups. 
I am hoping that one of the experts in this list will take pity on my 
ignorance and answer what should be a simple question.

Under Microsoft Visual C++, the Standard C++ library's 
numeric_limits<float>::signaling_NaN() and 
numeric_limits<double>::signaling_NaN() both return -INF values. The 
numeric_limits<float>::quiet_NaN() and numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN() 
both return -IND.

I have not been able to determine whether this is "proper" behavior or 
whether it is another example of Microsoft ignoring standards? I would have 
thought that one of the two should return NaN. I certainly can't for the 
life of me figure out why someone would call INF a NaN, but as I have said, 
I'm pretty ignorant.

Right now, if I want to use NaN's in my C++ code (e.g., to initialize newly 
allocated memory blocks) I build NaNs thus:

>static long iNAN[2] =
>{
>         0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF
>};
>
>static double dNAN(
>         *reinterpret_cast<double *>(iNaN))

but would prefer something a little less bit-tweaky.

Microsoft's documentation that this is the way they intend their library to 
work may be found at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/devprods/vs6/visualc/vclang/sample_Members_of_the_numeric_limits_Class_(STL_Sample).htm#_sample_stl_numeric_limits_class

Thanks,
Jonathan
=============================================================================
Jonathan M. Gilligan                         jonathan.gilligan at vanderbilt.edu
The Robert T. Lagemann Assistant Professor            Office:    615 343-6252
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