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Multiple-valued SQRT
- To: lisp-forum at MIT-MC
- Subject: Multiple-valued SQRT
- From: Guy.Steele at CMU-10A
- Date: Wed ,9 Dec 81 13:25:00 EDT
RMS's idea that (MULTIPLE-VALUE (X Y) (SQRT -4)) sets X and Y to 2i and -2i
is interesting. There are problems with extending the idea, however.
If we also agree that (SQRT X) = (EXPT X 0.5), then we have that
(EXPT X 0.25)
should return four values,
(EXPT X 0.0625)
returns sixteen, and so on.
Worse yet, complex LOG has an infinite number of values.
--Guy