xref: /freebsd/lib/msun/man/exp.3 (revision 6af83ee0d2941d18880b6aaa2b4facd1d30c6106)
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32.\"     from: @(#)exp.3	6.12 (Berkeley) 7/31/91
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35.Dd January 14, 2005
36.Dt EXP 3
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm exp ,
40.Nm expf ,
41.Nm exp10 ,
42.Nm exp10f ,
43.Nm expm1 ,
44.Nm expm1f ,
45.Nm log ,
46.Nm logf ,
47.Nm log10 ,
48.Nm log10f ,
49.Nm log1p ,
50.Nm log1pf ,
51.Nm pow ,
52.Nm powf
53.Nd exponential, logarithm, power functions
54.Sh LIBRARY
55.Lb libm
56.Sh SYNOPSIS
57.In math.h
58.Ft double
59.Fn exp "double x"
60.Ft float
61.Fn expf "float x"
62.Ft double
63.Fn expm1 "double x"
64.Ft float
65.Fn expm1f "float x"
66.Ft double
67.Fn log "double x"
68.Ft float
69.Fn logf "float x"
70.Ft double
71.Fn log10 "double x"
72.Ft float
73.Fn log10f "float x"
74.Ft double
75.Fn log1p "double x"
76.Ft float
77.Fn log1pf "float x"
78.Ft double
79.Fn pow "double x" "double y"
80.Ft float
81.Fn powf "float x" "float y"
82.Sh DESCRIPTION
83The
84.Fn exp
85and the
86.Fn expf
87functions compute the exponential value of the given argument
88.Fa x .
89.Pp
90The
91.Fn expm1
92and the
93.Fn expm1f
94functions compute the value exp(x)\-1 accurately even for tiny argument
95.Fa x .
96.Pp
97The
98.Fn log
99and the
100.Fn logf
101functions compute the value of the natural logarithm of argument
102.Fa x .
103.Pp
104The
105.Fn log10
106and the
107.Fn log10f
108functions compute the value of the logarithm of argument
109.Fa x
110to base 10.
111.Pp
112The
113.Fn log1p
114and the
115.Fn log1pf
116functions compute
117the value of log(1+x) accurately even for tiny argument
118.Fa x .
119.Pp
120The
121.Fn pow
122and the
123.Fn powf
124functions compute the value
125of
126.Ar x
127to the exponent
128.Ar y .
129.Sh ERROR (due to Roundoff etc.)
130.Fn exp x ,
131.Fn log x ,
132.Fn expm1 x
133and
134.Fn log1p x
135are accurate to within
136an
137.Em ulp ,
138and
139.Fn log10 x
140to within about 2
141.Em ulps ;
142an
143.Em ulp
144is one
145.Em Unit
146in the
147.Em Last
148.Em Place .
149The error in
150.Fn pow x y
151is below about 2
152.Em ulps
153when its
154magnitude is moderate, but increases as
155.Fn pow x y
156approaches
157the over/underflow thresholds until almost as many bits could be
158lost as are occupied by the floating\-point format's exponent
159field; that is 8 bits for
160.Tn "VAX D"
161and 11 bits for IEEE 754 Double.
162No such drastic loss has been exposed by testing; the worst
163errors observed have been below 20
164.Em ulps
165for
166.Tn "VAX D" ,
167300
168.Em ulps
169for
170.Tn IEEE
171754 Double.
172Moderate values of
173.Fn pow
174are accurate enough that
175.Fn pow integer integer
176is exact until it is bigger than 2**56 on a
177.Tn VAX ,
1782**53 for
179.Tn IEEE
180754.
181.Sh RETURN VALUES
182These functions will return the appropriate computation unless an error
183occurs or an argument is out of range.
184The functions
185.Fn pow x y
186and
187.Fn powf x y
188raise an invalid exception and return an \*(Na if
189.Fa x
190< 0 and
191.Fa y
192is not an integer.
193An attempt to take the logarithm of \*(Pm0 will result in
194a divide-by-zero exception, and an infinity will be returned.
195An attempt to take the logarithm of a negative number will
196result in an invalid exception, and an \*(Na will be generated.
197.Sh NOTES
198The functions exp(x)\-1 and log(1+x) are called
199expm1 and logp1 in
200.Tn BASIC
201on the Hewlett\-Packard
202.Tn HP Ns \-71B
203and
204.Tn APPLE
205Macintosh,
206.Tn EXP1
207and
208.Tn LN1
209in Pascal, exp1 and log1 in C
210on
211.Tn APPLE
212Macintoshes, where they have been provided to make
213sure financial calculations of ((1+x)**n\-1)/x, namely
214expm1(n\(**log1p(x))/x, will be accurate when x is tiny.
215They also provide accurate inverse hyperbolic functions.
216.Pp
217The function
218.Fn pow x 0
219returns x**0 = 1 for all x including x = 0,
220\*(If
221(not found on a
222.Tn VAX ) ,
223and
224.Em NaN
225(the reserved
226operand on a
227.Tn VAX ) .
228Previous implementations of pow may
229have defined x**0 to be undefined in some or all of these
230cases.
231Here are reasons for returning x**0 = 1 always:
232.Bl -enum -width indent
233.It
234Any program that already tests whether x is zero (or
235infinite or \*(Na) before computing x**0 cannot care
236whether 0**0 = 1 or not.
237Any program that depends
238upon 0**0 to be invalid is dubious anyway since that
239expression's meaning and, if invalid, its consequences
240vary from one computer system to another.
241.It
242Some Algebra texts (e.g.\& Sigler's) define x**0 = 1 for
243all x, including x = 0.
244This is compatible with the convention that accepts a[0]
245as the value of polynomial
246.Bd -literal -offset indent
247p(x) = a[0]\(**x**0 + a[1]\(**x**1 + a[2]\(**x**2 +...+ a[n]\(**x**n
248.Ed
249.Pp
250at x = 0 rather than reject a[0]\(**0**0 as invalid.
251.It
252Analysts will accept 0**0 = 1 despite that x**y can
253approach anything or nothing as x and y approach 0
254independently.
255The reason for setting 0**0 = 1 anyway is this:
256.Bd -ragged -offset indent
257If x(z) and y(z) are
258.Em any
259functions analytic (expandable
260in power series) in z around z = 0, and if there
261x(0) = y(0) = 0, then x(z)**y(z) \(-> 1 as z \(-> 0.
262.Ed
263.It
264If 0**0 = 1, then
265\*(If**0 = 1/0**0 = 1 too; and
266then \*(Na**0 = 1 too because x**0 = 1 for all finite
267and infinite x, i.e., independently of x.
268.El
269.Sh SEE ALSO
270.Xr fenv 3 ,
271.Xr math 3
272.Sh HISTORY
273A
274.Fn exp ,
275.Fn log
276and
277.Fn pow
278functions
279appeared in
280.At v6 .
281A
282.Fn log10
283function
284appeared in
285.At v7 .
286The
287.Fn log1p
288and
289.Fn expm1
290functions appeared in
291.Bx 4.3 .
292