From b513c46d998344dc07eb6d510782c2e23d2b859e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Mark Dickinson Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2023 19:15:44 +0000 Subject: gh-85417: Clarify behaviour on branch cuts in cmath module (#102046) This PR updates the cmath module documentation to reflect the reality that Python is almost always (and as far as I can tell, that "almost" can be omitted) running on a machine whose C double supports signed zeros. * Removes misleading references to functions being continuous from above / below / the left / the right at branch cuts * Expands the note on branch cuts at the top of the module documentation to explain the double-sided sign-of-zero-based behaviour --- Doc/library/cmath.rst | 66 +++++++++++++--------- .../2023-02-19-10-33-01.gh-issue-85417.kYO8u3.rst | 1 + 2 files changed, 39 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) create mode 100644 Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2023-02-19-10-33-01.gh-issue-85417.kYO8u3.rst diff --git a/Doc/library/cmath.rst b/Doc/library/cmath.rst index 28cd96b..5ed7a09 100644 --- a/Doc/library/cmath.rst +++ b/Doc/library/cmath.rst @@ -15,11 +15,27 @@ the function is then applied to the result of the conversion. .. note:: - On platforms with hardware and system-level support for signed - zeros, functions involving branch cuts are continuous on *both* - sides of the branch cut: the sign of the zero distinguishes one - side of the branch cut from the other. On platforms that do not - support signed zeros the continuity is as specified below. + For functions involving branch cuts, we have the problem of deciding how to + define those functions on the cut itself. Following Kahan's "Branch cuts for + complex elementary functions" paper, as well as Annex G of C99 and later C + standards, we use the sign of zero to distinguish one side of the branch cut + from the other: for a branch cut along (a portion of) the real axis we look + at the sign of the imaginary part, while for a branch cut along the + imaginary axis we look at the sign of the real part. + + For example, the :func:`cmath.sqrt` function has a branch cut along the + negative real axis. An argument of ``complex(-2.0, -0.0)`` is treated as + though it lies *below* the branch cut, and so gives a result on the negative + imaginary axis:: + + >>> cmath.sqrt(complex(-2.0, -0.0)) + -1.4142135623730951j + + But an argument of ``complex(-2.0, 0.0)`` is treated as though it lies above + the branch cut:: + + >>> cmath.sqrt(complex(-2.0, 0.0)) + 1.4142135623730951j Conversions to and from polar coordinates @@ -44,14 +60,11 @@ rectangular coordinates to polar coordinates and back. .. function:: phase(x) - Return the phase of *x* (also known as the *argument* of *x*), as a - float. ``phase(x)`` is equivalent to ``math.atan2(x.imag, - x.real)``. The result lies in the range [-\ *π*, *π*], and the branch - cut for this operation lies along the negative real axis, - continuous from above. On systems with support for signed zeros - (which includes most systems in current use), this means that the - sign of the result is the same as the sign of ``x.imag``, even when - ``x.imag`` is zero:: + Return the phase of *x* (also known as the *argument* of *x*), as a float. + ``phase(x)`` is equivalent to ``math.atan2(x.imag, x.real)``. The result + lies in the range [-\ *π*, *π*], and the branch cut for this operation lies + along the negative real axis. The sign of the result is the same as the + sign of ``x.imag``, even when ``x.imag`` is zero:: >>> phase(complex(-1.0, 0.0)) 3.141592653589793 @@ -92,8 +105,8 @@ Power and logarithmic functions .. function:: log(x[, base]) Returns the logarithm of *x* to the given *base*. If the *base* is not - specified, returns the natural logarithm of *x*. There is one branch cut, from 0 - along the negative real axis to -∞, continuous from above. + specified, returns the natural logarithm of *x*. There is one branch cut, + from 0 along the negative real axis to -∞. .. function:: log10(x) @@ -112,9 +125,9 @@ Trigonometric functions .. function:: acos(x) - Return the arc cosine of *x*. There are two branch cuts: One extends right from - 1 along the real axis to ∞, continuous from below. The other extends left from - -1 along the real axis to -∞, continuous from above. + Return the arc cosine of *x*. There are two branch cuts: One extends right + from 1 along the real axis to ∞. The other extends left from -1 along the + real axis to -∞. .. function:: asin(x) @@ -125,9 +138,8 @@ Trigonometric functions .. function:: atan(x) Return the arc tangent of *x*. There are two branch cuts: One extends from - ``1j`` along the imaginary axis to ``∞j``, continuous from the right. The - other extends from ``-1j`` along the imaginary axis to ``-∞j``, continuous - from the left. + ``1j`` along the imaginary axis to ``∞j``. The other extends from ``-1j`` + along the imaginary axis to ``-∞j``. .. function:: cos(x) @@ -151,23 +163,21 @@ Hyperbolic functions .. function:: acosh(x) Return the inverse hyperbolic cosine of *x*. There is one branch cut, - extending left from 1 along the real axis to -∞, continuous from above. + extending left from 1 along the real axis to -∞. .. function:: asinh(x) Return the inverse hyperbolic sine of *x*. There are two branch cuts: - One extends from ``1j`` along the imaginary axis to ``∞j``, - continuous from the right. The other extends from ``-1j`` along - the imaginary axis to ``-∞j``, continuous from the left. + One extends from ``1j`` along the imaginary axis to ``∞j``. The other + extends from ``-1j`` along the imaginary axis to ``-∞j``. .. function:: atanh(x) Return the inverse hyperbolic tangent of *x*. There are two branch cuts: One - extends from ``1`` along the real axis to ``∞``, continuous from below. The - other extends from ``-1`` along the real axis to ``-∞``, continuous from - above. + extends from ``1`` along the real axis to ``∞``. The other extends from + ``-1`` along the real axis to ``-∞``. .. function:: cosh(x) diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2023-02-19-10-33-01.gh-issue-85417.kYO8u3.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2023-02-19-10-33-01.gh-issue-85417.kYO8u3.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a5532df --- /dev/null +++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2023-02-19-10-33-01.gh-issue-85417.kYO8u3.rst @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +Update :mod:`cmath` documentation to clarify behaviour on branch cuts. -- cgit v0.12