Re: [boost] Re: Boost.MathConstant (& Boost.Interval)

From: David Abrahams (abrahams_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-04-24 05:53:10

----- Original Message -----
From: <k.hagan_at_[hidden]>
To: <boost_at_[hidden]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 6:13 AM
Subject: [boost] Re: Boost.MathConstant (& Boost.Interval)

> Peter Schmitteckert asks if there is a boost interval library.
> Yes, Jens Maurer submitted one over a year ago, but it is sitting
> in the vault because people like me haven't got around to doing
> anything with it. I would expect a good interval library to replace
> the use of plain float & double, in the same way that std::string
> has (?) replaced char[]. (We only need to convince the performance
> freaks that there is little or no cost involved.)

Is that really possible? Surely one has to do 2-3 times as many
floating-point ops to handle intervals as raw numbers. I know that in my
application domain (simulation), nobody would be willing to pay that price.
Typically these simulations use iterative methods that only strive for a few
digits of accuracy before producing a result anyway.

-Dave