## 56 engineering-format

Engineering-format changes the way maxima outputs floating-point numbers to the notation engineers are used to: `a*10^b` with `b` dividable by three.

### 56.1 Functions and Variables for engineering-format

Option variable: engineering_format_floats

  Default value: `true`

  This variable allows to temporarily switch off engineering-format.

      (%i1) load("engineering-format");
      (%o1) /home/gunter/src/maxima-code/share/contrib/engineering-for\
      mat.lisp

      (%i2) float(sin(10)/10000);
      (%o2)                - 54.40211108893698e-6

      (%i3) engineering_format_floats:false$

      (%i4) float(sin(10)/10000);
      (%o4)                - 5.440211108893698e-5

  See also `fpprintprec` and `float`.

  ·

  Categories: Display functions ·Global flags ·Share packages

Option variable: engineering_format_min

  Default value: `0.0`

  The minimum absolute value that isn’t automatically converted to the engineering format. See also `engineering_format_max` and `engineering_format_floats`.

      (%i1) lst: float([.05,.5,5,500,5000,500000]);
      (%o1)       [0.05, 0.5, 5.0, 500.0, 5000.0, 500000.0]

      (%i2) load("engineering-format");
      (%o2) /home/gunter/src/maxima-code/share/contrib/engineering-for\
      mat.lisp

      (%i3) lst;
      (%o3) [50.0e-3, 500.0e-3, 5.0e+0, 500.0e+0, 5.0e+3, 500.0e+3]

      (%i4) engineering_format_min:.1$
      (%i5) engineering_format_max:1000$

      (%i6) lst;
      (%o6)     [50.0e-3, 0.5, 5.0, 500.0, 5.0e+3, 500.0e+3]

  ·

  Categories: Display functions ·Global flags ·Share packages

Option variable: engineering_format_max

  Default value: `0.0`

  The maximum absolute value that isn’t automatically converted to the engineering format. See also `engineering_format_min` and `engineering_format_floats`.

  ·

  Categories: Display functions ·Global flags ·Share packages

### 56.2 Known Bugs

The output routine of SBCL 1.3.0 has a bug that sometimes causes the exponent not to be dividable by three. The value of the displayed number is still valid in this case.