Symbolic Constants

The following symbolic constants are available (the enclosing "$<$ $>$ " brackets must be included):

• $<$ bad$>$ : The `bad' value used to flag missing data. Note that you cannot usefully compare values with this constant because the result is always $<$ bad$>$ . The ISBAD() function should be used instead.

• $<$ dig$>$ : Number of decimal digits of precision available in a floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ e$>$ : Base of natural logarithms.

• $<$ epsilon$>$ : Smallest positive number such that 1.0$+$ $<$ epsilon$>$ is distinguishable from unity.

• $<$ mant_dig$>$ : The number of base $<$ radix$>$ digits stored in the mantissa of a floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ max$>$ : Maximum representable floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ max_10_exp$>$ : Maximum integer such that 10 raised to that power can be represented as a floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ max_exp$>$ : Maximum integer such that $<$ radix$>$ raised to that power minus 1 can be represented as a floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ min$>$ : Smallest positive number which can be represented as a normalised floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ min_10_exp$>$ : Minimum negative integer such that 10 raised to that power can be represented as a normalised floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ min_exp$>$ : Minimum negative integer such that $<$ radix$>$ raised to that power minus 1 can be represented as a normalised floating-point (double-precision) value.

• $<$ pi$>$ : Ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

• $<$ radix$>$ : The radix (number base) used to represent the mantissa of floating-point (double-precision) values.

• $<$ rounds$>$ : The mode used for rounding floating-point results after addition. Possible values include: -1 (indeterminate), 0 (toward zero), 1 (to nearest), 2 (toward plus infinity) and 3 (toward minus infinity). Other values indicate machine-dependent behaviour.