2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
|
|
|
lost in the underflow
|
|
|
|
|
|
2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
|
|
|
adj. Too small to be worth considering; more specifically, small beyond the
|
|
|
|
|
limits of accuracy or measurement. This is a reference to floating underflow
|
|
|
|
|
, a condition that can occur when a floating-point arithmetic processor
|
|
|
|
|
tries to handle quantities smaller than its limit of magnitude. It is also a
|
|
|
|
|
pun on undertow (a kind of fast, cold current that sometimes runs just
|
|
|
|
|
offshore and can be dangerous to swimmers). Well, sure, photon pressure from
|
|
|
|
|
the stadium lights alters the path of a thrown baseball, but that effect
|
|
|
|
|
gets lost in the underflow. Compare epsilon , epsilon squared ; see also
|
|
|
|
|
overflow bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
