Logarithms and Exponentiation in MUMPS
Author Information
Author(s): T. G. Pellar, A. R. Henderson
Primary Institution: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada
Hypothesis
The study aims to enhance the MUMPS programming language by adding logarithmic and exponential functions for clinical biochemistry applications.
Conclusion
The newly developed routines for logarithms and exponentiation in MUMPS provide accurate calculations suitable for clinical biochemistry laboratories.
Supporting Evidence
- The routines were tested against commercially available logarithm tables and showed identical values.
- The maximum error observed was about 0.00005% when using whole integers or decimals.
- The routines allow for calculations with up to 15 significant decimal places.
Takeaway
This study created new tools to help computers do math with logs and exponents, making it easier for scientists to calculate things like body surface area.
Methodology
The study involved developing routines in MUMPS for calculating logarithms, antilogarithms, exponentiation, and roots, tested against known values for accuracy.
Limitations
The routines may encounter overflow or underflow issues if not used within specified limits of significant figures.
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