2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
5 @setfilename ../info/numbers
6 @node Numbers, Strings and Characters, Lisp Data Types, Top
11 GNU Emacs supports two numeric data types: @dfn{integers} and
12 @dfn{floating point numbers}. Integers are whole numbers such as
13 @minus{}3, 0, 7, 13, and 511. Their values are exact. Floating point
14 numbers are numbers with fractional parts, such as @minus{}4.5, 0.0, or
15 2.71828. They can also be expressed in exponential notation: 1.5e2
16 equals 150; in this example, @samp{e2} stands for ten to the second
17 power, and that is multiplied by 1.5. Floating point values are not
18 exact; they have a fixed, limited amount of precision.
21 * Integer Basics:: Representation and range of integers.
22 * Float Basics:: Representation and range of floating point.
23 * Predicates on Numbers:: Testing for numbers.
24 * Comparison of Numbers:: Equality and inequality predicates.
25 * Numeric Conversions:: Converting float to integer and vice versa.
26 * Arithmetic Operations:: How to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
27 * Rounding Operations:: Explicitly rounding floating point numbers.
28 * Bitwise Operations:: Logical and, or, not, shifting.
29 * Math Functions:: Trig, exponential and logarithmic functions.
30 * Random Numbers:: Obtaining random integers, predictable or not.
34 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
35 @section Integer Basics
37 The range of values for an integer depends on the machine. The
38 minimum range is @minus{}134217728 to 134217727 (28 bits; i.e.,
52 but some machines may provide a wider range. Many examples in this
53 chapter assume an integer has 28 bits.
56 The Lisp reader reads an integer as a sequence of digits with optional
57 initial sign and optional final period.
60 1 ; @r{The integer 1.}
61 1. ; @r{The integer 1.}
62 +1 ; @r{Also the integer 1.}
63 -1 ; @r{The integer @minus{}1.}
64 268435457 ; @r{Also the integer 1, due to overflow.}
65 0 ; @r{The integer 0.}
66 -0 ; @r{The integer 0.}
69 To understand how various functions work on integers, especially the
70 bitwise operators (@pxref{Bitwise Operations}), it is often helpful to
71 view the numbers in their binary form.
73 In 28-bit binary, the decimal integer 5 looks like this:
76 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101
80 (We have inserted spaces between groups of 4 bits, and two spaces
81 between groups of 8 bits, to make the binary integer easier to read.)
83 The integer @minus{}1 looks like this:
86 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111
90 @cindex two's complement
91 @minus{}1 is represented as 28 ones. (This is called @dfn{two's
92 complement} notation.)
94 The negative integer, @minus{}5, is creating by subtracting 4 from
95 @minus{}1. In binary, the decimal integer 4 is 100. Consequently,
96 @minus{}5 looks like this:
99 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1011
102 In this implementation, the largest 28-bit binary integer value is
103 134,217,727 in decimal. In binary, it looks like this:
106 0111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111
109 Since the arithmetic functions do not check whether integers go
110 outside their range, when you add 1 to 134,217,727, the value is the
111 negative integer @minus{}134,217,728:
116 @result{} 1000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
119 Many of the functions described in this chapter accept markers for
120 arguments in place of numbers. (@xref{Markers}.) Since the actual
121 arguments to such functions may be either numbers or markers, we often
122 give these arguments the name @var{number-or-marker}. When the argument
123 value is a marker, its position value is used and its buffer is ignored.
126 @section Floating Point Basics
128 Floating point numbers are useful for representing numbers that are
129 not integral. The precise range of floating point numbers is
130 machine-specific; it is the same as the range of the C data type
131 @code{double} on the machine you are using.
133 The read-syntax for floating point numbers requires either a decimal
134 point (with at least one digit following), an exponent, or both. For
135 example, @samp{1500.0}, @samp{15e2}, @samp{15.0e2}, @samp{1.5e3}, and
136 @samp{.15e4} are five ways of writing a floating point number whose
137 value is 1500. They are all equivalent. You can also use a minus sign
138 to write negative floating point numbers, as in @samp{-1.0}.
140 @cindex IEEE floating point
141 @cindex positive infinity
142 @cindex negative infinity
145 Most modern computers support the IEEE floating point standard, which
146 provides for positive infinity and negative infinity as floating point
147 values. It also provides for a class of values called NaN or
148 ``not-a-number''; numerical functions return such values in cases where
149 there is no correct answer. For example, @code{(sqrt -1.0)} returns a
150 NaN. For practical purposes, there's no significant difference between
151 different NaN values in Emacs Lisp, and there's no rule for precisely
152 which NaN value should be used in a particular case, so Emacs Lisp
153 doesn't try to distinguish them. Here are the read syntaxes for
154 these special floating point values:
157 @item positive infinity
159 @item negative infinity
165 In addition, the value @code{-0.0} is distinguishable from ordinary
166 zero in IEEE floating point (although @code{equal} and @code{=} consider
169 You can use @code{logb} to extract the binary exponent of a floating
170 point number (or estimate the logarithm of an integer):
173 This function returns the binary exponent of @var{number}. More
174 precisely, the value is the logarithm of @var{number} base 2, rounded
185 @node Predicates on Numbers
186 @section Type Predicates for Numbers
188 The functions in this section test whether the argument is a number or
189 whether it is a certain sort of number. The functions @code{integerp}
190 and @code{floatp} can take any type of Lisp object as argument (the
191 predicates would not be of much use otherwise); but the @code{zerop}
192 predicate requires a number as its argument. See also
193 @code{integer-or-marker-p} and @code{number-or-marker-p}, in
194 @ref{Predicates on Markers}.
197 This predicate tests whether its argument is a floating point
198 number and returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise.
200 @code{floatp} does not exist in Emacs versions 18 and earlier.
203 @defun integerp object
204 This predicate tests whether its argument is an integer, and returns
205 @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise.
208 @defun numberp object
209 This predicate tests whether its argument is a number (either integer or
210 floating point), and returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise.
213 @defun wholenump object
214 @cindex natural numbers
215 The @code{wholenump} predicate (whose name comes from the phrase
216 ``whole-number-p'') tests to see whether its argument is a nonnegative
217 integer, and returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. 0 is
218 considered non-negative.
221 @code{natnump} is an obsolete synonym for @code{wholenump}.
225 This predicate tests whether its argument is zero, and returns @code{t}
226 if so, @code{nil} otherwise. The argument must be a number.
228 These two forms are equivalent: @code{(zerop x)} @equiv{} @code{(= x 0)}.
231 @node Comparison of Numbers
232 @section Comparison of Numbers
233 @cindex number equality
235 To test numbers for numerical equality, you should normally use
236 @code{=}, not @code{eq}. There can be many distinct floating point
237 number objects with the same numeric value. If you use @code{eq} to
238 compare them, then you test whether two values are the same
239 @emph{object}. By contrast, @code{=} compares only the numeric values
242 At present, each integer value has a unique Lisp object in Emacs Lisp.
243 Therefore, @code{eq} is equivalent to @code{=} where integers are
244 concerned. It is sometimes convenient to use @code{eq} for comparing an
245 unknown value with an integer, because @code{eq} does not report an
246 error if the unknown value is not a number---it accepts arguments of any
247 type. By contrast, @code{=} signals an error if the arguments are not
248 numbers or markers. However, it is a good idea to use @code{=} if you
249 can, even for comparing integers, just in case we change the
250 representation of integers in a future Emacs version.
252 Sometimes it is useful to compare numbers with @code{equal}; it treats
253 two numbers as equal if they have the same data type (both integers, or
254 both floating point) and the same value. By contrast, @code{=} can
255 treat an integer and a floating point number as equal.
257 There is another wrinkle: because floating point arithmetic is not
258 exact, it is often a bad idea to check for equality of two floating
259 point values. Usually it is better to test for approximate equality.
260 Here's a function to do this:
263 (defvar fuzz-factor 1.0e-6)
264 (defun approx-equal (x y)
265 (or (and (= x 0) (= y 0))
267 (max (abs x) (abs y)))
271 @cindex CL note---integers vrs @code{eq}
273 @b{Common Lisp note:} Comparing numbers in Common Lisp always requires
274 @code{=} because Common Lisp implements multi-word integers, and two
275 distinct integer objects can have the same numeric value. Emacs Lisp
276 can have just one integer object for any given value because it has a
277 limited range of integer values.
280 @defun = number-or-marker1 number-or-marker2
281 This function tests whether its arguments are numerically equal, and
282 returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise.
285 @defun /= number-or-marker1 number-or-marker2
286 This function tests whether its arguments are numerically equal, and
287 returns @code{t} if they are not, and @code{nil} if they are.
290 @defun < number-or-marker1 number-or-marker2
291 This function tests whether its first argument is strictly less than
292 its second argument. It returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise.
295 @defun <= number-or-marker1 number-or-marker2
296 This function tests whether its first argument is less than or equal
297 to its second argument. It returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil}
301 @defun > number-or-marker1 number-or-marker2
302 This function tests whether its first argument is strictly greater
303 than its second argument. It returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil}
307 @defun >= number-or-marker1 number-or-marker2
308 This function tests whether its first argument is greater than or
309 equal to its second argument. It returns @code{t} if so, @code{nil}
313 @defun max number-or-marker &rest numbers-or-markers
314 This function returns the largest of its arguments.
326 @defun min number-or-marker &rest numbers-or-markers
327 This function returns the smallest of its arguments.
336 This function returns the absolute value of @var{number}.
339 @node Numeric Conversions
340 @section Numeric Conversions
341 @cindex rounding in conversions
343 To convert an integer to floating point, use the function @code{float}.
346 This returns @var{number} converted to floating point.
347 If @var{number} is already a floating point number, @code{float} returns
351 There are four functions to convert floating point numbers to integers;
352 they differ in how they round. These functions accept integer arguments
353 also, and return such arguments unchanged.
355 @defun truncate number
356 This returns @var{number}, converted to an integer by rounding towards
360 @defun floor number &optional divisor
361 This returns @var{number}, converted to an integer by rounding downward
362 (towards negative infinity).
364 If @var{divisor} is specified, @var{number} is divided by @var{divisor}
365 before the floor is taken; this uses the kind of division operation that
366 corresponds to @code{mod}, rounding downward. An @code{arith-error}
367 results if @var{divisor} is 0.
370 @defun ceiling number
371 This returns @var{number}, converted to an integer by rounding upward
372 (towards positive infinity).
376 This returns @var{number}, converted to an integer by rounding towards the
377 nearest integer. Rounding a value equidistant between two integers
378 may choose the integer closer to zero, or it may prefer an even integer,
379 depending on your machine.
382 @node Arithmetic Operations
383 @section Arithmetic Operations
385 Emacs Lisp provides the traditional four arithmetic operations:
386 addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Remainder and modulus
387 functions supplement the division functions. The functions to
388 add or subtract 1 are provided because they are traditional in Lisp and
391 All of these functions except @code{%} return a floating point value
392 if any argument is floating.
394 It is important to note that in Emacs Lisp, arithmetic functions
395 do not check for overflow. Thus @code{(1+ 134217727)} may evaluate to
396 @minus{}134217728, depending on your hardware.
398 @defun 1+ number-or-marker
399 This function returns @var{number-or-marker} plus 1.
409 This function is not analogous to the C operator @code{++}---it does not
410 increment a variable. It just computes a sum. Thus, if we continue,
417 If you want to increment the variable, you must use @code{setq},
426 @defun 1- number-or-marker
427 This function returns @var{number-or-marker} minus 1.
430 @defun + &rest numbers-or-markers
431 This function adds its arguments together. When given no arguments,
444 @defun - &optional number-or-marker &rest more-numbers-or-markers
445 The @code{-} function serves two purposes: negation and subtraction.
446 When @code{-} has a single argument, the value is the negative of the
447 argument. When there are multiple arguments, @code{-} subtracts each of
448 the @var{more-numbers-or-markers} from @var{number-or-marker},
449 cumulatively. If there are no arguments, the result is 0.
461 @defun * &rest numbers-or-markers
462 This function multiplies its arguments together, and returns the
463 product. When given no arguments, @code{*} returns 1.
475 @defun / dividend divisor &rest divisors
476 This function divides @var{dividend} by @var{divisor} and returns the
477 quotient. If there are additional arguments @var{divisors}, then it
478 divides @var{dividend} by each divisor in turn. Each argument may be a
481 If all the arguments are integers, then the result is an integer too.
482 This means the result has to be rounded. On most machines, the result
483 is rounded towards zero after each division, but some machines may round
484 differently with negative arguments. This is because the Lisp function
485 @code{/} is implemented using the C division operator, which also
486 permits machine-dependent rounding. As a practical matter, all known
487 machines round in the standard fashion.
489 @cindex @code{arith-error} in division
490 If you divide an integer by 0, an @code{arith-error} error is signaled.
491 (@xref{Errors}.) Floating point division by zero returns either
492 infinity or a NaN if your machine supports IEEE floating point;
493 otherwise, it signals an @code{arith-error} error.
514 The result of @code{(/ -17 6)} could in principle be -3 on some
518 @defun % dividend divisor
520 This function returns the integer remainder after division of @var{dividend}
521 by @var{divisor}. The arguments must be integers or markers.
523 For negative arguments, the remainder is in principle machine-dependent
524 since the quotient is; but in practice, all known machines behave alike.
526 An @code{arith-error} results if @var{divisor} is 0.
539 For any two integers @var{dividend} and @var{divisor},
543 (+ (% @var{dividend} @var{divisor})
544 (* (/ @var{dividend} @var{divisor}) @var{divisor}))
549 always equals @var{dividend}.
552 @defun mod dividend divisor
554 This function returns the value of @var{dividend} modulo @var{divisor};
555 in other words, the remainder after division of @var{dividend}
556 by @var{divisor}, but with the same sign as @var{divisor}.
557 The arguments must be numbers or markers.
559 Unlike @code{%}, @code{mod} returns a well-defined result for negative
560 arguments. It also permits floating point arguments; it rounds the
561 quotient downward (towards minus infinity) to an integer, and uses that
562 quotient to compute the remainder.
564 An @code{arith-error} results if @var{divisor} is 0.
589 For any two numbers @var{dividend} and @var{divisor},
593 (+ (mod @var{dividend} @var{divisor})
594 (* (floor @var{dividend} @var{divisor}) @var{divisor}))
599 always equals @var{dividend}, subject to rounding error if either
600 argument is floating point. For @code{floor}, see @ref{Numeric
604 @node Rounding Operations
605 @section Rounding Operations
606 @cindex rounding without conversion
608 The functions @code{ffloor}, @code{fceiling}, @code{fround}, and
609 @code{ftruncate} take a floating point argument and return a floating
610 point result whose value is a nearby integer. @code{ffloor} returns the
611 nearest integer below; @code{fceiling}, the nearest integer above;
612 @code{ftruncate}, the nearest integer in the direction towards zero;
613 @code{fround}, the nearest integer.
616 This function rounds @var{float} to the next lower integral value, and
617 returns that value as a floating point number.
620 @defun fceiling float
621 This function rounds @var{float} to the next higher integral value, and
622 returns that value as a floating point number.
625 @defun ftruncate float
626 This function rounds @var{float} towards zero to an integral value, and
627 returns that value as a floating point number.
631 This function rounds @var{float} to the nearest integral value,
632 and returns that value as a floating point number.
635 @node Bitwise Operations
636 @section Bitwise Operations on Integers
638 In a computer, an integer is represented as a binary number, a
639 sequence of @dfn{bits} (digits which are either zero or one). A bitwise
640 operation acts on the individual bits of such a sequence. For example,
641 @dfn{shifting} moves the whole sequence left or right one or more places,
642 reproducing the same pattern ``moved over''.
644 The bitwise operations in Emacs Lisp apply only to integers.
646 @defun lsh integer1 count
647 @cindex logical shift
648 @code{lsh}, which is an abbreviation for @dfn{logical shift}, shifts the
649 bits in @var{integer1} to the left @var{count} places, or to the right
650 if @var{count} is negative, bringing zeros into the vacated bits. If
651 @var{count} is negative, @code{lsh} shifts zeros into the leftmost
652 (most-significant) bit, producing a positive result even if
653 @var{integer1} is negative. Contrast this with @code{ash}, below.
655 Here are two examples of @code{lsh}, shifting a pattern of bits one
656 place to the left. We show only the low-order eight bits of the binary
657 pattern; the rest are all zero.
663 ;; @r{Decimal 5 becomes decimal 10.}
664 00000101 @result{} 00001010
668 ;; @r{Decimal 7 becomes decimal 14.}
669 00000111 @result{} 00001110
674 As the examples illustrate, shifting the pattern of bits one place to
675 the left produces a number that is twice the value of the previous
678 Shifting a pattern of bits two places to the left produces results
679 like this (with 8-bit binary numbers):
685 ;; @r{Decimal 3 becomes decimal 12.}
686 00000011 @result{} 00001100
690 On the other hand, shifting one place to the right looks like this:
696 ;; @r{Decimal 6 becomes decimal 3.}
697 00000110 @result{} 00000011
703 ;; @r{Decimal 5 becomes decimal 2.}
704 00000101 @result{} 00000010
709 As the example illustrates, shifting one place to the right divides the
710 value of a positive integer by two, rounding downward.
712 The function @code{lsh}, like all Emacs Lisp arithmetic functions, does
713 not check for overflow, so shifting left can discard significant bits
714 and change the sign of the number. For example, left shifting
715 134,217,727 produces @minus{}2 on a 28-bit machine:
718 (lsh 134217727 1) ; @r{left shift}
722 In binary, in the 28-bit implementation, the argument looks like this:
726 ;; @r{Decimal 134,217,727}
727 0111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111
732 which becomes the following when left shifted:
736 ;; @r{Decimal @minus{}2}
737 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1110
742 @defun ash integer1 count
743 @cindex arithmetic shift
744 @code{ash} (@dfn{arithmetic shift}) shifts the bits in @var{integer1}
745 to the left @var{count} places, or to the right if @var{count}
748 @code{ash} gives the same results as @code{lsh} except when
749 @var{integer1} and @var{count} are both negative. In that case,
750 @code{ash} puts ones in the empty bit positions on the left, while
751 @code{lsh} puts zeros in those bit positions.
753 Thus, with @code{ash}, shifting the pattern of bits one place to the right
758 (ash -6 -1) @result{} -3
759 ;; @r{Decimal @minus{}6 becomes decimal @minus{}3.}
760 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1010
762 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1101
766 In contrast, shifting the pattern of bits one place to the right with
767 @code{lsh} looks like this:
771 (lsh -6 -1) @result{} 134217725
772 ;; @r{Decimal @minus{}6 becomes decimal 134,217,725.}
773 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1010
775 0111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1101
779 Here are other examples:
781 @c !!! Check if lined up in smallbook format! XDVI shows problem
782 @c with smallbook but not with regular book! --rjc 16mar92
785 ; @r{ 28-bit binary values}
787 (lsh 5 2) ; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
788 @result{} 20 ; = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0001 0100}
793 (lsh -5 2) ; -5 = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1011}
794 @result{} -20 ; = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1110 1100}
799 (lsh 5 -2) ; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
800 @result{} 1 ; = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0001}
807 (lsh -5 -2) ; -5 = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1011}
808 @result{} 4194302 ; = @r{0011 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1110}
811 (ash -5 -2) ; -5 = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1011}
812 @result{} -2 ; = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1110}
817 @defun logand &rest ints-or-markers
820 This function returns the ``logical and'' of the arguments: the
821 @var{n}th bit is set in the result if, and only if, the @var{n}th bit is
822 set in all the arguments. (``Set'' means that the value of the bit is 1
825 For example, using 4-bit binary numbers, the ``logical and'' of 13 and
826 12 is 12: 1101 combined with 1100 produces 1100.
827 In both the binary numbers, the leftmost two bits are set (i.e., they
828 are 1's), so the leftmost two bits of the returned value are set.
829 However, for the rightmost two bits, each is zero in at least one of
830 the arguments, so the rightmost two bits of the returned value are 0's.
842 If @code{logand} is not passed any argument, it returns a value of
843 @minus{}1. This number is an identity element for @code{logand}
844 because its binary representation consists entirely of ones. If
845 @code{logand} is passed just one argument, it returns that argument.
849 ; @r{ 28-bit binary values}
851 (logand 14 13) ; 14 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1110}
852 ; 13 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1101}
853 @result{} 12 ; 12 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1100}
857 (logand 14 13 4) ; 14 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1110}
858 ; 13 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1101}
859 ; 4 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0100}
860 @result{} 4 ; 4 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0100}
865 @result{} -1 ; -1 = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111}
870 @defun logior &rest ints-or-markers
871 @cindex logical inclusive or
873 This function returns the ``inclusive or'' of its arguments: the @var{n}th bit
874 is set in the result if, and only if, the @var{n}th bit is set in at least
875 one of the arguments. If there are no arguments, the result is zero,
876 which is an identity element for this operation. If @code{logior} is
877 passed just one argument, it returns that argument.
881 ; @r{ 28-bit binary values}
883 (logior 12 5) ; 12 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1100}
884 ; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
885 @result{} 13 ; 13 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1101}
889 (logior 12 5 7) ; 12 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1100}
890 ; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
891 ; 7 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0111}
892 @result{} 15 ; 15 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1111}
897 @defun logxor &rest ints-or-markers
898 @cindex bitwise exclusive or
899 @cindex logical exclusive or
900 This function returns the ``exclusive or'' of its arguments: the
901 @var{n}th bit is set in the result if, and only if, the @var{n}th bit is
902 set in an odd number of the arguments. If there are no arguments, the
903 result is 0, which is an identity element for this operation. If
904 @code{logxor} is passed just one argument, it returns that argument.
908 ; @r{ 28-bit binary values}
910 (logxor 12 5) ; 12 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1100}
911 ; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
912 @result{} 9 ; 9 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1001}
916 (logxor 12 5 7) ; 12 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1100}
917 ; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
918 ; 7 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0111}
919 @result{} 14 ; 14 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1110}
924 @defun lognot integer
927 This function returns the logical complement of its argument: the @var{n}th
928 bit is one in the result if, and only if, the @var{n}th bit is zero in
929 @var{integer}, and vice-versa.
934 ;; 5 = @r{0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0101}
936 ;; -6 = @r{1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1010}
941 @section Standard Mathematical Functions
942 @cindex transcendental functions
943 @cindex mathematical functions
945 These mathematical functions allow integers as well as floating point
946 numbers as arguments.
951 These are the ordinary trigonometric functions, with argument measured
956 The value of @code{(asin @var{arg})} is a number between @minus{}pi/2
957 and pi/2 (inclusive) whose sine is @var{arg}; if, however, @var{arg}
958 is out of range (outside [-1, 1]), then the result is a NaN.
962 The value of @code{(acos @var{arg})} is a number between 0 and pi
963 (inclusive) whose cosine is @var{arg}; if, however, @var{arg}
964 is out of range (outside [-1, 1]), then the result is a NaN.
968 The value of @code{(atan @var{arg})} is a number between @minus{}pi/2
969 and pi/2 (exclusive) whose tangent is @var{arg}.
973 This is the exponential function; it returns
980 to the power @var{arg}.
987 is a fundamental mathematical constant also called the base of natural
991 @defun log arg &optional base
992 This function returns the logarithm of @var{arg}, with base @var{base}.
993 If you don't specify @var{base}, the base
1000 is used. If @var{arg}
1001 is negative, the result is a NaN.
1006 This function returns @code{(1- (exp @var{arg}))}, but it is more
1007 accurate than that when @var{arg} is negative and @code{(exp @var{arg})}
1012 This function returns @code{(log (1+ @var{arg}))}, but it is more
1013 accurate than that when @var{arg} is so small that adding 1 to it would
1019 This function returns the logarithm of @var{arg}, with base 10. If
1020 @var{arg} is negative, the result is a NaN. @code{(log10 @var{x})}
1021 @equiv{} @code{(log @var{x} 10)}, at least approximately.
1025 This function returns @var{x} raised to power @var{y}. If both
1026 arguments are integers and @var{y} is positive, the result is an
1027 integer; in this case, it is truncated to fit the range of possible
1032 This returns the square root of @var{arg}. If @var{arg} is negative,
1036 @node Random Numbers
1037 @section Random Numbers
1038 @cindex random numbers
1040 A deterministic computer program cannot generate true random numbers.
1041 For most purposes, @dfn{pseudo-random numbers} suffice. A series of
1042 pseudo-random numbers is generated in a deterministic fashion. The
1043 numbers are not truly random, but they have certain properties that
1044 mimic a random series. For example, all possible values occur equally
1045 often in a pseudo-random series.
1047 In Emacs, pseudo-random numbers are generated from a ``seed'' number.
1048 Starting from any given seed, the @code{random} function always
1049 generates the same sequence of numbers. Emacs always starts with the
1050 same seed value, so the sequence of values of @code{random} is actually
1051 the same in each Emacs run! For example, in one operating system, the
1052 first call to @code{(random)} after you start Emacs always returns
1053 -1457731, and the second one always returns -7692030. This
1054 repeatability is helpful for debugging.
1056 If you want truly unpredictable random numbers, execute @code{(random
1057 t)}. This chooses a new seed based on the current time of day and on
1058 Emacs's process @sc{id} number.
1060 @defun random &optional limit
1061 This function returns a pseudo-random integer. Repeated calls return a
1062 series of pseudo-random integers.
1064 If @var{limit} is a positive integer, the value is chosen to be
1065 nonnegative and less than @var{limit}.
1067 If @var{limit} is @code{t}, it means to choose a new seed based on the
1068 current time of day and on Emacs's process @sc{id} number.
1069 @c "Emacs'" is incorrect usage!
1071 On some machines, any integer representable in Lisp may be the result
1072 of @code{random}. On other machines, the result can never be larger
1073 than a certain maximum or less than a certain (negative) minimum.