roundoff error
roundoff error The error caused by truncating numbers in a calculation, usually necessitated because registers in a computer can only hold numbers of a fixed length, say t binary digits. Arithmetical operations on such numbers often give results requiring more than t digits for their representation, which must then be reduced to t digits for further calculation. The nearest t-digit approximation may be used (rounding) or digits after the tth may be dropped (chopping or truncation). The repeated reduction to t digits can cause systematic buildup of error in certain types of calculation.
More From encyclopedia.com
Real Numbers , A real number is any number which can be represented by a point on the number line. The numbers 3.5, 0.003, 2/3, π, and are all real numbers.
The rea… Arithmetic , Arithmetic is a branch of mathematics concerned with the numerical manipulation of numbers using the operations of addition , subtraction , multiplic… Number Theory , Number theory is the study of natural, or counting numbers, including prime numbers . Number theory is important because the simple sequence of count… Random , Random
The word random is used in mathematics much as it is in ordinary speech. A random number is one whose choice from a set of numbers is purely a… Imaginary Number , Imaginary number
An imaginary number is the square root of a negative real number. (The square root of a number is a second number that, when multipl… Numbers , numbers Numbers is the name of the fourth book of the Bible, relating the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness after Moses led them out of…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
roundoff error