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  12 Numbers   12.1 Number Concepts   12.1.1 Numeric Operations   12.1.1.1 Associativity and Commutativity in Numeric Operations

12.1.1.1.1 Examples of Associativity and Commutativity in Numeric Operations

Consider the following expression, in which we assume that 1.0 and 1.0e-15 both denote single floats:

 (+ 1/3 2/3 1.0d0 1.0 1.0e-15)

One conforming implementation might process the arguments from left to right, first adding 1/3 and 2/3 to get 1, then converting that to a double float for combination with 1.0d0, then successively converting and adding 1.0 and 1.0e-15.

Another conforming implementation might process the arguments from right to left, first performing a single float addition of 1.0 and 1.0e-15 (perhaps losing accuracy in the process), then converting the sum to a double float and adding 1.0d0, then converting 2/3 to a double float and adding it, and then converting 1/3 and adding that.

A third conforming implementation might first scan all the arguments, process all the rationals first to keep that part of the computation exact, then find an argument of the largest floating-point format among all the arguments and add that, and then add in all other arguments, converting each in turn (all in a perhaps misguided attempt to make the computation as accurate as possible).

In any case, all three strategies are legitimate.

A conforming program could control the order by writing, for example,

 (+ (+ 1/3 2/3) (+ 1.0d0 1.0e-15) 1.0)

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