Originally Posted by: Mitcher3 Wow Jean what you are saying is terribly awfull about PTC, really stupid of them, they had a terrific tool and they ruined it completely.
I found your post by pure chance by the way, I find this forum a little bit confused and unclear, don't even know where to attach files, but it looks powerfull with lots of functionalities..
Are you really saying SMath only works with 4 or 6 decimals ? It would be very poor when compared to the 15's Mathcad indeed.
Kepler is more astrophysics than cosmology but if it can do that it can do basically anything I guess.
From the name I imagine you are a french locutor, right ? (I'am).
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Functions in computing machinery are all approximations from the basic 4 arithmetic operations
[+,-,*,/]. Many of them are built-in Microsoft [Trig, exp, ln, inverse Trig ...]. Those native functions, Smath probably borrow them directly, like others do. More of the Smath functions
come from other packages [Matlab ...]. Generally except for Gamma(x) numerical approximations
are code for 21 digits internal and carried as such between calculations. Cody Junior explains
that only 18 digits are true and that consequently to chained calculations, only 15 are displayed
and by same token meet reference tables [Abramowitz ,...].
Gamma(x) is the only exception I discovered recently while attempting to code the Barnes hyper.
BTW, Smath is a 32 bit CAS [Computer Algebra System]. Those CAS that display > 15 use an internal
"Big Number Engine" [Mathematica, Mathcad from symbolic]. The "Bible" of computer approximations
is "Hart et al", Luke is another source in Fortran.
On the first day you will post a problem in this forum, many will visit and help get started.
In Quebec we speak mostly 3 languages: French, English and "Quebecois" ... I speak the 3.
Cheers mon ami, Jean
PS: Not a joke, I heard about Smath from the PTC forum [Fred K.]
So many got pest off from PTC policies money makers ...