Merge pull request #553 from Mathics3/accuracy-and-precision-doc

Go over docs for Accuracy and Precision

mathics/builtin/atomic/numbers.py

@@ -148,20 +148,20 @@ def convert_float(x, base, exponents):
 
 class Accuracy(Builtin):
     """
+    <url>:Accuracy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision</url> (WMA <url>:Accuracy: https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Accuracy.html</url>)
+
     <dl>
       <dt>'Accuracy[$x$]'
       <dd>examines the number of significant digits of $expr$ after the decimal point in the number x.
     </dl>
-    This is rather a proof-of-concept than a full implementation.
-
+    <i>This is rather a proof-of-concept than a full implementation.</i>
 
     Accuracy of a real number is estimated from its value and its precision:
 
     >> Accuracy[3.1416`2]
      = 1.50298
 
-    Notice that the value is not exactly equal to the obtained in WMA: This is due to the different way in which
-    Precision is handled in SymPy.
+    Notice that the value is not exactly equal to the obtained in WMA: This is due to the different way in which 'Precision' is handled in SymPy.
 
     Accuracy for exact atoms is $Infinity$:
     >> Accuracy[1]
@@ -176,9 +176,20 @@ class Accuracy(Builtin):
     Accuracy of expressions is given by the minimum accuracy of its elements:
     >> Accuracy[F[1, Pi, A]]
      = Infinity
+
     >> Accuracy[F[1.3, Pi, A]]
      = 14.8861
 
+    'Accuracy' for the value 0 is a fixed-precision Real number:
+     >> 0``2
+      = 0.00
+
+    In compound expressions, the 'Accuracy' is fixed by the number with
+    the lowest 'Accuracy':
+    >> Accuracy[{{1, 1.`},{1.``5, 1.``10}}]
+     = 5.
+
+    See also <url>:'Precision': /doc/reference-of-built-in-symbols/atomic-elements-of-expressions/representation-of-numbers/precision/</url>.
     """
 
     summary_text = "find the accuracy of a number"
@@ -954,40 +965,41 @@ def apply(self, expr, evaluation):
 
 class Precision(Builtin):
     """
+    <url>:Precision: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision</url> (WMA <url>:Precision: https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Precision.html</url>)
+
     <dl>
       <dt>'Precision[$expr$]'
       <dd>examines the number of significant digits of $expr$.
     </dl>
-    This is rather a proof-of-concept than a full implementation.
-    Precision of compound expression is not supported yet.
+
+    <i>This is rather a proof-of-concept than a full implementation.</i>
+
+    The precision of an exact number, e.g. an Integer, is 'Infinity':
+
     >> Precision[1]
      = Infinity
+
+    A fraction is an exact number too, so its Precision is 'Infinity':
+
     >> Precision[1/2]
      = Infinity
-    >> Precision[0.5]
-     = MachinePrecision
 
-    #> Precision[0.0]
-     = MachinePrecision
-    #> Precision[0.000000000000000000000000000000000000]
-     = 0.
-    #> Precision[-0.0]
-     = MachinePrecision
-    #> Precision[-0.000000000000000000000000000000000000]
-     = 0.
+    Numbers entered in the form $digits$`$p$ are taken to have precision $p$:
 
-    #> 1.0000000000000000 // Precision
-     = MachinePrecision
-    #> 1.00000000000000000 // Precision
-     = 17.
+    >> Precision[1.23`10]
+     = 10.
 
-    #> 0.4 + 2.4 I // Precision
+    Precision of a machine‐precision number is 'MachinePrecision':
+    >> Precision[0.5]
      = MachinePrecision
-    #> Precision[2 + 3 I]
-     = Infinity
 
-    #> Precision["abc"]
-     = Infinity
+    In compound expressions, the 'Precision' is fixed by the number with
+    the lowest 'Precision':
+    >> Precision[{{1, 1.`},{1.`5, 1.`10}}]
+     = 5.
+
+
+    See also <url>:'Accuracy': /doc/reference-of-built-in-symbols/atomic-elements-of-expressions/representation-of-numbers/accuracy/</url>.
     """
 
     rules = {

mathics/doc/documentation/1-Manual.mdoc

@@ -196,50 +196,46 @@ The result of the previous query to \Mathics can be accessed by '%':
 
 <section title="Precision and Accuracy">
 
-\Mathics handles relative ('Precision') and absolute ('Accuracy') uncertanties in numerical quantities. 'Precision' is set by adding a single reversed quote $`$
-and the numerical value of the precision right after the last digit of the mantissa. For example,
+\Mathics handles relative and absolute uncertanties in numerical quantities. The <em>precision</em> or relative accuracy, is set by adding a RawBackquote character ('`') and the number of digits of precision in the mantissa. For example:
 
-  >> a = 3.1416`3
+  >> 3.1416`3
    = 3.14
 
-set $a$ with a number having a relative uncertainty of $10^{-3}$, in a way that this number is numerically equivalent to $3.1413`4$:
+Above, two decimal places are shown in output after the decimal point, but three places of precision are stored.
 
-  >> a == 3.1413`4
+The relative uncertainty of '3.1416`3' is 10^-3. It is numerically equivalent, in three places after the decimal point, to 3.1413`4:
+
+  >> 3.1416`3 == 3.1413`4
    = True
 
-We can recover the precision of the number by using  'Precision' 
+We can get the precision of the number by using the \Mathics <url>:'Precision': /doc/reference-of-built-in-symbols/atomic-elements-of-expressions/representation-of-numbers/precision/</url> function:
 
-    >> Precision[a]
-     = 3.
+    >> Precision[3.1413`4]
+     = 4.
 
-Up to the precision, $a$ is equivalent to $\pi$, so
+While 3.1419 not the closest approximation to Pi in 4 digits after the decimal point (or with precision 4), for 3 digits of precision it is:
 
-    >> Pi - a
-     = 0.
-    >> Pi == a
+    >> Pi == 3.141987654321`3
      = True
 
-In a similar way, 'Accuracy' is set by adding a double reversed quote $``$
-and the numerical value of the accuracy right after the last digit of the mantissa. For example,
+<url>The absolute accuracy of a number, is set by adding a two RawBackquotes '``' and the number digits.
+
+For example:
 
-  >> a = 13.1416``4
+  >> 13.1416``4
    = 13.142
 
-set $a$ with a number having a absolute uncertainty of $10^{-4}$, in a way that this number is numerically equivalent to $13.1413``4$:
+is a number having a absolute uncertainty of 10^-4. This number is numerically equivalent to '13.1413``4':
 
-  >> a == 13.1413``4
+  >> 13.1416``4 == 13.1413``4
    = True
 
-For $0$, 'Precision' is ignored, since corresponds to a zero uncertainty:
-
-  >> 0`4
-   = 0
-
-while 'Accuracy' is taken into account by storing the value as a fixed precision Real number:
+The absolute accuracy for the value 0 is a fixed-precision Real number:
 
   >> 0``4
    = 0.0000
 
+See also <url>:Accuracy and precision: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision</url>.
 </section>
 
 

test/builtin/atomic/test_numbers.py

@@ -175,3 +175,45 @@ def test_n():
         ("N[1.01234567890123456789`, 2] // Precision", "MachinePrecision"),
     ):
         check_evaluation(str_expr, str_expected)
+
+
+def test_accuracy():
+    for str_expr, str_expected in (
+        ("0`4", "0"),
+        ("Accuracy[0.0]", "15."),
+        ("Accuracy[0.000000000000000000000000000000000000]", "36."),
+        ("Accuracy[-0.0]", "15."),
+        # In WMA, this gives 36. Seems to be a rounding  issue
+        # ("Accuracy[-0.000000000000000000000000000000000000]", "36."),
+        ("1.0000000000000000 // Accuracy", "15."),
+        ("1.00000000000000000 // Accuracy", "17."),
+        # Returns the accuracy of ```2.4```
+        (" 0.4 + 2.4 I // Accuracy", "14.6198"),
+        ("Accuracy[2 + 3 I]", "Infinity"),
+        ('Accuracy["abc"]', "Infinity"),
+        # Returns the accuracy of ``` 3.2`3 ```
+        ('Accuracy[F["a", 2, 3.2`3]]', "2.49482"),
+        ('Accuracy[{{a, 2, 3.2`},{2.1`5, 3.2`3, "a"}}]', "2.49482"),
+        # Another case of issues with rounding. In Mathics, this returns
+        # 2.67776
+        # ('Accuracy[{{a, 2, 3.2`},{2.1``3, 3.2``5, "a"}}]', '3.'),
+    ):
+        check_evaluation(str_expr, str_expected)
+
+
+def test_precision():
+    for str_expr, str_expected in (
+        ("0`4", "0"),
+        ("Precision[0.0]", "MachinePrecision"),
+        ("Precision[0.000000000000000000000000000000000000]", "0."),
+        ("Precision[-0.0]", "MachinePrecision"),
+        ("Precision[-0.000000000000000000000000000000000000]", "0."),
+        ("1.0000000000000000 // Precision", "MachinePrecision"),
+        ("1.00000000000000000 // Precision", "17."),
+        (" 0.4 + 2.4 I // Precision", "MachinePrecision"),
+        ("Precision[2 + 3 I]", "Infinity"),
+        ('Precision["abc"]', "Infinity"),
+        ('Precision[F["a", 2, 3.2`3]]', "3."),
+        ('Precision[{{a,2,3.2`},{2.1`5, 2.`3, "a"}}]', "3."),
+    ):
+        check_evaluation(str_expr, str_expected)