xref: /freebsd/lib/msun/man/exp.3 (revision 2e1417489338b971e5fd599ff48b5f65df9e8d3b)
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28.\"     from: @(#)exp.3	6.12 (Berkeley) 7/31/91
29.\" $FreeBSD$
30.\"
31.Dd January 17, 2008
32.Dt EXP 3
33.Os
34.Sh NAME
35.Nm exp ,
36.Nm expf ,
37.\" The sorting error is intentional.  exp and expf should be adjacent.
38.Nm exp2 ,
39.Nm exp2f ,
40.Nm exp2l ,
41.Nm expm1 ,
42.Nm expm1f ,
43.Nm pow ,
44.Nm powf
45.Nd exponential and power functions
46.Sh LIBRARY
47.Lb libm
48.Sh SYNOPSIS
49.In math.h
50.Ft double
51.Fn exp "double x"
52.Ft float
53.Fn expf "float x"
54.Ft double
55.Fn exp2 "double x"
56.Ft float
57.Fn exp2f "float x"
58.Ft long double
59.Fn exp2l "long double x"
60.Ft double
61.Fn expm1 "double x"
62.Ft float
63.Fn expm1f "float x"
64.Ft double
65.Fn pow "double x" "double y"
66.Ft float
67.Fn powf "float x" "float y"
68.Sh DESCRIPTION
69The
70.Fn exp
71and the
72.Fn expf
73functions compute the base
74.Ms e
75exponential value of the given argument
76.Fa x .
77.Pp
78The
79.Fn exp2 ,
80.Fn exp2f ,
81and
82.Fn exp2l
83functions compute the base 2 exponential of the given argument
84.Fa x .
85.Pp
86The
87.Fn expm1
88and the
89.Fn expm1f
90functions compute the value exp(x)\-1 accurately even for tiny argument
91.Fa x .
92.Pp
93The
94.Fn pow
95and the
96.Fn powf
97functions compute the value
98of
99.Ar x
100to the exponent
101.Ar y .
102.Sh ERROR (due to Roundoff etc.)
103The values of
104.Fn exp 0 ,
105.Fn expm1 0 ,
106.Fn exp2 integer ,
107and
108.Fn pow integer integer
109are exact provided that they are representable.
110.\" XXX Is this really true for pow()?
111Otherwise the error in these functions is generally below one
112.Em ulp .
113.Sh RETURN VALUES
114These functions will return the appropriate computation unless an error
115occurs or an argument is out of range.
116The functions
117.Fn pow x y
118and
119.Fn powf x y
120raise an invalid exception and return an \*(Na if
121.Fa x
122< 0 and
123.Fa y
124is not an integer.
125.Sh NOTES
126The function
127.Fn pow x 0
128returns x**0 = 1 for all x including x = 0, \*(If, and \*(Na .
129Previous implementations of pow may
130have defined x**0 to be undefined in some or all of these
131cases.
132Here are reasons for returning x**0 = 1 always:
133.Bl -enum -width indent
134.It
135Any program that already tests whether x is zero (or
136infinite or \*(Na) before computing x**0 cannot care
137whether 0**0 = 1 or not.
138Any program that depends
139upon 0**0 to be invalid is dubious anyway since that
140expression's meaning and, if invalid, its consequences
141vary from one computer system to another.
142.It
143Some Algebra texts (e.g.\& Sigler's) define x**0 = 1 for
144all x, including x = 0.
145This is compatible with the convention that accepts a[0]
146as the value of polynomial
147.Bd -literal -offset indent
148p(x) = a[0]\(**x**0 + a[1]\(**x**1 + a[2]\(**x**2 +...+ a[n]\(**x**n
149.Ed
150.Pp
151at x = 0 rather than reject a[0]\(**0**0 as invalid.
152.It
153Analysts will accept 0**0 = 1 despite that x**y can
154approach anything or nothing as x and y approach 0
155independently.
156The reason for setting 0**0 = 1 anyway is this:
157.Bd -ragged -offset indent
158If x(z) and y(z) are
159.Em any
160functions analytic (expandable
161in power series) in z around z = 0, and if there
162x(0) = y(0) = 0, then x(z)**y(z) \(-> 1 as z \(-> 0.
163.Ed
164.It
165If 0**0 = 1, then
166\*(If**0 = 1/0**0 = 1 too; and
167then \*(Na**0 = 1 too because x**0 = 1 for all finite
168and infinite x, i.e., independently of x.
169.El
170.Sh SEE ALSO
171.Xr fenv 3 ,
172.Xr ldexp 3 ,
173.Xr log 3 ,
174.Xr math 3
175.Sh STANDARDS
176These functions conform to
177.St -isoC-99 .
178