Precision (computer Science) - Rounding Error

Rounding Error

Further information: Floating point

Precision is often the source of rounding errors in computation. The number of bits used to store a number will often cause some loss of accuracy. An example would be to store sin(0.1) in IEEE single precision floating point standard. The error is then often magnified as subsequent computations are made to the data (it can also be reduced).

Read more about this topic:  Precision (computer Science)

Famous quotes containing the words rounding and/or error:

    “I look for the new Teacher that shall follow so far those shining laws that he shall see them come full circle; shall see their rounding complete grace; shall see the world to be the mirror of the soul; shall see the identity of the law of gravitation with purity of the heart; and shall show that the Ought, that Duty, is one thing with Science, with Beauty, and with Joy.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “It is not to everyone’s taste that truth should be pronounced pleasant. But at least let no one believe that error becomes truth when it is pronounced unpleasant.”
    —Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)