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.