[Scilab-users] Floating-point relative accuracy – HELP

[David Brant]

Hello

I'm not fully conversant with Matlab, but offered to help my daughter 
with a tutorial in Scilab ... and then Matlab!

Basically Matlab gives the 'expected' tutorial answer (n=17), and scilab 
does not! Hopefully this is down to my lack of expertise, but i would 
very much like understand why.

Does the problem require the use of floating-point relative accuracy 
feature (%eps)?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

*** scilab output
  n k S dif
     0.    1.    1.    1.718281828459045
     1.    1.    2.    0.718281828459045
     2.    2.    2.5    0.218281828459045
     3.    6.    2.666666666666667    0.051615161792379
     4.    24.    2.708333333333333    0.009948495125712
     5.    120.    2.716666666666666    0.001615161792379
     6.    720.    2.718055555555555    0.000226272903490
     7.    5040.    2.718253968253968    0.000027860205077
     8.    40320.    2.71827876984127    0.000003058617775
     9.    362880.    2.718281525573192    0.000000302885853
     10.    3628800.    2.718281801146385    0.000000027312661
     11.    39916800.    2.718281826198493    0.000000002260552
     12.    479001600.    2.718281828286169    0.000000000172876
     13.    6227020800.    2.718281828446759    0.000000000012286
     14.    87178291200.    2.71828182845823    0.000000000000815
     15.    1307674368000.    2.718281828458995 0.000000000000050
     16.    20922789888000.    2.718281828459043 0.000000000000002
     17.    355687428096000.    2.718281828459046 4.44089209850D-16
     18.    6402373705728000.    2.718281828459046 4.44089209850D-16
     19.    1.21645100409D+17    2.718281828459046 4.44089209850D-16
     20.    2.43290200818D+18    2.718281828459046 4.44089209850D-16

*** matlab output
n k S dif
0           1           1      1.7183
1           1           2     0.71828
2           2         2.5     0.21828
3           6      2.6667    0.051615
4           24      2.70833    0.0099485
5           120      2.716667   0.001615162
6           720      2.718056  0.0002262729
7           5040       2.718254  2.7860205e-05
8           40320      2.71827877  3.05861778e-06
9           362880      2.718281526  3.028858533e-07
10           3628800      2.7182818011  2.7312661022e-08
11           39916800       2.7182818262  2.26055263397e-09
12           479001600      2.718281828286  1.728768239673e-10
13           6227020800      2.7182818284468  1.2286172079712e-11
14           87178291200      2.71828182845823 8.15347789284715e-13
15          1307674368000      2.718281828458995 5.062616992290714e-14
16         20922789888000      2.718281828459043 2.664535259100376e-15
17        355687428096000 2.718281828459046                      0

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