[Jprogramming] Puzzling result

[Don Kelly]

IF and only IF there is  an application for extended complex numbers- 
which I expect to be  much rarer than the need for extended numbers in 
the first place- it would be possible to go back to the past and use the 
get-around routines used in handling them with real numbers only and 
scripting operations on these in rectangular components. It can be and 
has been done. Exponential and related trigonometric operations also can 
be extended but never will be exact.  There is a definite cost in time 
and space involved I have done this in APL*Plus and in a simulation of 
an HP11 calculator -modified for complex number operations (in visual 
Basic).   If somebody has an urgent need for extended operations, they 
can do this with their own definitions and accept the performance costs.

There appears to be a tendency to believe that a computer with an entry 
of 2 significant figures can provide a result good to 8 or 10 sig figs.

Enough of a rant

Don Kelly


On 2017-09-09 2:34 AM, Raul Miller wrote:
> What would it be used for? (Related: how would the exponential aspects
> of complex number operations get handled?)
>
> Thanks,
>