[Scilab-users] Some details on the documentation of log(), log10(), etc.

[Stéphane Mottelet]

By looking into the documentation messages I realized that we already 
use "array" :

./locale/de_DE/LC_MESSAGES/scilab.po-e:msgid "%s: Wrong type for input 
argument #%d: Array of double expected.\n"

S.

Le 20/02/2021 à 17:21, Stéphane Mottelet a écrit :
>
> Hi Frederico,
>
> In almost all other numerical software the object defined in Scilab by 
> a=zeros(3,3,3) is called an "array", m=zeros(3,3) a "matrix" and 
> x=zeros(1,3) or y=zeros(3,1) "vectors", and all of them are called 
> "arrays". BTW, now the "hyper" prefix sounds like when it is used in 
> "hyperspace"... To me, the documentation should be revamped to always 
> use "array" when the denoted object can have any number of dimensions 
> and use "matrix" only when the array has to be a matrix. Concerning 
> your remark about the "constant vector or constant matrix", yes, this 
> should be changed by something more explicit, like "array of double". 
> We already use similar terms in error messages, i.e.
>
> "%s: Wrong type for input argument #%d: A matrix of double expected.\n"
>
> Hence we could synchonize the uses of localized messages with the 
> documentation. When I say "we" it also includes "you", Frederico. If 
> you feel that Scilab could be improved by a better documentation, 
> please contribute. If you need some help to start using the relevant 
> tools (git, codereview) I would be glad to help you.
>
> S.
>
> Le 20/02/2021 à 01:29, Federico Miyara a écrit :
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> In an old script where I needed to apply log10 to an hyperarray I had 
>> implemented it as log(A)/log(10) with a comment indicating that in 
>> that version log10() didn't work for hyperarrays (unfortunately I 
>> don't recall what version it was).
>>
>> In Version 6.1.0 it does work for hyperarrays, but the documentation 
>> still says that it applies to vectors or matrices:
>>
>> https://help.scilab.org/docs/6.1.0/en_US/log10.html
>>
>> In some contexts "matrix" may be interpreted as an hyperarray or 
>> hypermatrix (for instance when speaking of N-D matrices), but for 
>> Scilab a matrix is formally a two-dimensional array:
>>
>> https://help.scilab.org/docs/6.1.0/en_US/matrices.html
>>
>> I think the documentation should indicate that it applies to vectors, 
>> matrices and hypermatrices
>>
>> Another problem is regarding log(). It says that the input argument 
>> is a "constant vector or constant matrix":
>>
>> https://help.scilab.org/docs/6.1.0/en_US/log.html
>>
>> However, it seems that "constant" has a specific meaning in Scilab as 
>> a predefined variable:
>>
>> https://help.scilab.org/docs/6.1.0/en_US/section_421ab29126e21a1e1e403ee27a18fda4.html
>>
>> As it is worded, it seems that log() is applied to predefined 
>> variables. I think it should refer more clearly to the type double 
>> (it doesn't work, for instance, for integer types such as int16(2)).
>>
>> In the case of log2() the description of arguments is even stranger:
>>
>> https://help.scilab.org/docs/6.1.0/en_US/log2.html
>>
>> It confuses the argument section with the description, and it 
>> specifies decimal numbers which isn't a recognized type.
>>
>> The function exp(), on the other hand, doesn't indicate an output 
>> argument.
>>
>> I think these functions are very similar and their documentation 
>> pages should be consistent with one another
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Federico Miyara
>>
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> -- 
> Stéphane Mottelet
> Ingénieur de recherche
> EA 4297 Transformations Intégrées de la Matière Renouvelable
> Département Génie des Procédés Industriels
> Sorbonne Universités - Université de Technologie de Compiègne
> CS 60319, 60203 Compiègne cedex
> Tel : +33(0)344234688
> http://www.utc.fr/~mottelet
>
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-- 
Stéphane Mottelet
Ingénieur de recherche
EA 4297 Transformations Intégrées de la Matière Renouvelable
Département Génie des Procédés Industriels
Sorbonne Universités - Université de Technologie de Compiègne
CS 60319, 60203 Compiègne cedex
Tel : +33(0)344234688
http://www.utc.fr/~mottelet

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