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"NaN" in Java
I am taking a java mock exam in my exam simulator - enthuware. I am studying for a certification exam. I have approached this problem about "NaN", which I am not familiar with.
The Question is:
Here, Option E is the correct answer according to the exam simulator.
Since NaN means "Not a Number", it is obvious that C and D are incorrect. But I need to know why option A is not correct in this problem?
The Question is:
Which of the following statements about NaNs are true ?
A. Float.NaN == Float.NaN
B. Float.NaN == Double.NaN
C. Float.NaN >= 0
D. Float.NaN < 0
E. None of the above.
A. Float.NaN == Float.NaN
B. Float.NaN == Double.NaN
C. Float.NaN >= 0
D. Float.NaN < 0
E. None of the above.
Here, Option E is the correct answer according to the exam simulator.
Since NaN means "Not a Number", it is obvious that C and D are incorrect. But I need to know why option A is not correct in this problem?
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From this site:
http://www.concentric.net/~ttwang/tech/javafloat.htm
All boolean operations involving "NaN" results in a false value.
That is just convention as I understand
More examples from the same site.
No direct exmaple like yours Float.NaN == Float.NaN
- but definitiona bove requires that it wouyld be false
Double.NaN > 1.0 -> false
Double.NaN < 1.0 -> false
Double.NaN == 1.0 -> false
Float.NaN < -3.0 -> false
Float.NaN > Float.POSITIVE_INFINITY -> false
Float.NaN < Float.POSITIVE_INFINITY -> false
(0.0 / 0.0) == (0.0 / 0.0) -> false
Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NaN NaN = "Not a Number". If it is "Not a Number", then it can't be a float which is a number.
What you mentyioned, is certainly true, but it still does not explain why it is not equal to itself, like in
Float.NaN == Float.NaN
I think it is just by definition
Float.NaN is practically no one knows what (we only know what it is not, which is not very much),
so they stated that all operations involving
Float.NaN should by definition always return false.
Float.NaN can be produced as 0.0f/0.0f or as Math.sqrt(-2.0f)
Are those two equal ? By definition - no. and intuitively seems it is a right definition.
Float.NaN == Float.NaN
I think it is just by definition
Float.NaN is practically no one knows what (we only know what it is not, which is not very much),
so they stated that all operations involving
Float.NaN should by definition always return false.
Float.NaN can be produced as 0.0f/0.0f or as Math.sqrt(-2.0f)
Are those two equal ? By definition - no. and intuitively seems it is a right definition.
I would say that since it is 'undefined', it can't be equal to or compared to anything. There is nothing valid to support the comparison.
The JLS defines NaN ss *unordered* so all comparison operators return false (you cannot compare something that has no order).
"NaN is unordered, so the numerical comparison operators <, <=, >, and >= return false if either or both operands are NaN (§15.20.1). The equality operator == returns false if either operand is NaN, and the inequality operator != returns true if either operand is NaN (§15.21.1). In particular, x!=x is true if and only if x is NaN, and (x<y) == !(x>=y) will be false if x or y is NaN."
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/typesValues.doc.html
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/expressions.doc.html#153654
For == it is following the IEEE 754 standard
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/expressions.doc.html#5198
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/typesValues.doc.html
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/expressions.doc.html#153654
For == it is following the IEEE 754 standard
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/expressions.doc.html#5198
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