Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails

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From	Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu>
Subject	Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails
Date	Fri, 26 Oct 2012 03:54:02 -0400
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On 10/25/2012 10:44 PM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:04:52 -0400, Terry Reedy wrote:
>
>> It is a consequence of the following, which some people (but not all)
>> believe is mandated by the IEEE standard.
>>
>>   >>> nan = float('nan')
>>   >>> nan is nan
>> True
>
> The IEEE 754 standard says nothing about object identity. It only
> discusses value equality.
>
>>   >>> nan == nan
>> False
>
> IEEE 754 states that all NANs compare unequal to everything, including
> NANs with the same bit value. It doesn't make an exception for
> comparisons with itself.
>
> I'm not entirely sure why you suggest that there is an argument about
> what IEEE 754 says about NANs.

I did not do so.

> As far as I can see, the argument is
> whether or not language designers should pick and choose which bits of
> the standard they want to follow, thus taking a step backwards to the
> chaos of numerical computing prior to the IEEE 754 standard.

There has been disagreement about whether the standard mandates that 
Python behave the way it does. That is a fact, but I have no interest in 
discussing the issue.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy

Thread

a.index(float('nan')) fails mamboknave@gmail.com - 2012-10-25 18:46 -0700
  Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-10-25 22:04 -0400
    Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-10-26 02:44 +0000
      Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-10-26 03:54 -0400
        Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-10-26 15:26 +0000
          Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-10-26 14:49 -0400
    Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2012-10-27 17:40 +0100
  Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Cameron Simpson <cs@zip.com.au> - 2012-10-26 13:15 +1100
    Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails mamboknave@gmail.com - 2012-10-25 19:22 -0700
    Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails mamboknave@gmail.com - 2012-10-25 19:22 -0700
  Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2012-10-26 03:19 +0100
  Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-10-26 02:33 +0000
    Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2012-10-28 06:07 -0700
  Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-10-26 04:00 -0400
    Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-10-26 16:23 +0000
      Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2012-10-26 17:43 +0100
      Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-10-27 03:45 +1100
        Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-10-26 18:40 +0000
          Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Devin Jeanpierre <jeanpierreda@gmail.com> - 2012-10-26 15:17 -0400
          Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-10-27 12:29 +1100
      Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-10-26 14:58 -0400
      Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2012-10-27 00:48 -0400
        Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Thomas Rachel <nutznetz-0c1b6768-bfa9-48d5-a470-7603bd3aa915@spamschutz.glglgl.de> - 2012-10-27 08:56 +0200
          Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2012-10-27 17:45 +0100
          Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2012-10-27 13:07 -0400
  Re: a.index(float('nan')) fails Mark Adam <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2012-10-27 13:33 -0500

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