Intrinsic Functions for Floating-Point Inquiry and Control

The following table lists intrinsic functions for floating-point inquiry and control.

Certain functions (EXPONENT, FRACTION, NEAREST, RRSPACING, SCALE, SET_EXPONENT and SPACING) return values related to components of the model set of real numbers. For a description of this model, see the Model for Real Data.

Name Description
DIGITS Returns number of significant digits for data of the same type as the argument.
EPSILON Returns the smallest positive number that when added to one produces a number greater than one for data of the same type as the argument.
EXPONENT Returns the exponent part of the representation of x.
FRACTION Returns the fractional part of the representation of the argument.
HUGE Returns largest number that can be represented by data of type the argument.
MAXEXPONENT Returns the largest positive decimal exponent for data of the same type as the argument.
MINEXPONENT Returns the largest negative decimal exponent for data of the same type as the argument.
NEAREST Returns the nearest different machine representable number to the first argument in the direction of the sign of the second argument.
PRECISION Returns the number of significant digits for data of the same type as the argument.
RADIX Returns the base for data of the same type as the argument.
RANGE Returns the decimal exponent range for data of the same type as the argument.
RRSPACING Returns the reciprocal of the relative spacing of numbers near the argument.
SCALE Multiplies the first argument by 2 raised to the power of the second argument.
SET_EXPONENT Returns a number whose fractional part is the first argument and whose exponential part is the second argument.
SPACING Returns the absolute spacing of numbers near the argument.
TINY Returns smallest positive number that can be represented by data of type of the argument.

The portability routines GETCONTROLFPQQ, GETSTATUSFPQQ, LCWRQQ, SCWRQQ, SETCONTROLFPQQ, and SSWRQQ also supply this functionality.