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describe seq gotcha re FP arith
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@@ -3175,13 +3175,13 @@ $ factor `echo '2^64-1'|bc`
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@code{seq} prints a sequence of numbers to standard output. Synopses:
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@example
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seq [@var{option}]@dots{} [@var{first} [@var{step}]] @var{last}@dots{}
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seq [@var{option}]@dots{} [@var{first} [@var{increment}]] @var{last}@dots{}
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@end example
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@code{seq} prints the numbers from @var{first} to @var{last} by
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@var{step}. By default, @var{first} and @var{step} are both 1, and each
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number is printed on its own line. All numbers can be reals, not just
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integers.
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@var{increment}. By default, @var{first} and @var{increment} are both 1,
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and each number is printed on its own line. All numbers can be reals,
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not just integers.
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The program accepts the following options. Also see @ref{Common options}.
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@@ -3269,6 +3269,35 @@ FFFFFFFF
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100000000
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@end example
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Be careful when using @code{seq} with a fractional @var{increment},
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otherwise you may see surprising results. Most people would expect to
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see @code{0.3} printed as the last number in this example:
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@example
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$ seq -s' ' 0 .1 .3
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0 0.1 0.2
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@end example
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But doesn't happen on most systems because @code{seq} is implemented using
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binary floating point arithmetic (via the C @code{double} type) -- which
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means some decimal numbers like @code{.1} cannot be represented exactly.
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That in turn means some nonintuitive conditions like @code{.1 * 3 > .3}
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will end up being true.
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To work around that in the above example, use a slightly larger number as
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the @var{last} value:
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@example
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$ seq -s' ' 0 .1 .31
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0 0.1 0.2 0.3
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@end example
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In general, when using an @var{increment} with a fractional part, where
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(@var{last} - @var{first}) / @var{increment} is (mathematically) a whole
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number, specify a slightly larger (or smaller, if @var{increment} is negative)
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value for @var{last} to ensure that @var{last} is the final value printed
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by seq.
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@node Index
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@unnumbered Index
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