calculate
Evaluate mathematical expressions in fixed-point, floating-point, or rational arithmetic, with each result labeled as exact or inexact.
Instructions
Evaluate an expression (or short program) in one numeric type; return value + precision.
`mode` is the numeric type the WHOLE calculation runs in — every intermediate
result behaves exactly as that type would, so float rounding, fixed-point
scale, and rational exactness each show through. Modes:
fixed-point (default) exact scaled integer; money / ERC-20-safe
floating-point IEEE-754 double; ~15-17 sig. digits; aliases float64, double
rational exact numerator/denominator; no irrationals
Grammar. Binary `+ - * / // %`; unary prefix `+ - ~`; `**` is POWER,
right-assoc, binds tighter than unary minus: -2**2 == -(2**2). Bitwise
`& | ^` (^ is XOR, NOT power) and `~` (NOT) work in EVERY type, on its own
stored bits (float's 64-bit IEEE pattern, fixed-point's mantissa, rational's
numerator/denominator). Both operands
of a binary op must share ONE type — there is no implicit promotion. Group
with `( )`. Functions: call as `name(arg, ...)` — e.g. `sqrt`, `sin`, `sum`;
each argument evaluates in the active type. For the full set and their
argument counts call `help('functions')`. Literals: decimals
`12 3.14 .5 1e3 2.5e-4`; base integers
`0x1F 0b1010 0o17`; fixed-point `M@D == M x 10^-D`, where M MUST be
base-prefixed (0x/0o/0b) — a DECIMAL mantissa is INVALID: both `123@2` and
`123.45@2` error; write a decimal value as its digits (e.g. 123.45), never
with `@`. (`0x59682F00@9` = 1.5, `0xDE0B6B3A7640000@18` = 1 ETH.)
Variables & multi-line programs. Assign with `name = expr` (name is an
identifier `[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*`); a bare `name` reads it back, and reading
a name that was never assigned is an error. An assignment is itself an
expression — its value is the right-hand side — so `x = 2 + 3` returns 5 and
also binds `x`. Pass SEVERAL statements as one `expression` by separating them
with NEWLINES (`
): they run top to bottom sharing one variable scope, so a later line sees earlier bindings, and the call's returned valueis the LAST statement's (earlier lines run for their bindings). E.g. "x = 10
y = x * 2
y + 1"returns 21. Scope lasts for the one call only — bindings do not carry over to the nextcalculate`.
Returns a dict: `value` is the result rendered as a string and ANNOTATED with
its precision verdict — "(exact)" when the result is the true value, else
"(inexact, rounded to N decimals)" — so e.g. `/` cannot silently mislead by
looking exact when it rounded. `value_hex_dump` is that same value in hex (the
bit-backed representation): fixed-point as M@D (mantissa in whole-byte hex,
`@scale` dropped at scale 0), floating-point as the raw 64-bit IEEE-754
pattern, and NULL in rational mode (a numerator/denominator pair has no single
integer to dump). `mode` is the RESOLVED numeric type the call ran in — always
the canonical name even when you passed an alias (e.g. "double" reads back as
"floating-point"), so the reply stands on its own. The exactness/scale facts
are also returned as separate fields: `exact` (bool — did the mode hold the
true value) and `precision` (the fixed-point decimal scale, or null when the
mode has none). NOTE: floating-point conservatively reports `exact: false` for
every result today, including ones a double holds exactly. On failure `value`/
`value_hex_dump`/`mode`/`exact`/`precision` are null and `error` carries the
message (the 1-based source line for a malformed expression / domain error, or
the valid mode list for an unknown mode); on success `error` is null. For the
full reference call `help`.
`min_fixed_point_precision` floors the fixed-point result at that many decimal
places: every operand is held at no fewer than that many fractional digits, so
a `/` that would otherwise round at scale 0 keeps more decimals. It is valid
ONLY in fixed-point mode (the other modes have no decimal scale) and must be a
non-negative integer; either violation is an `error`. Omit it (null) for no
floor.
`offered_precision` is a what-if nudge, present (non-null) ONLY on an inexact
fixed-point result when you did NOT pass min_fixed_point_precision: it shows the
SAME expression at a few more decimals so you see the digits the rounding hid.
It is a nested object `{mode, min_fixed_point_precision, value, value_hex_dump,
exact}` mirroring the top-level reply — its `mode` is always "fixed-point", its
min_fixed_point_precision is the argument to pass to GET that fuller value, its
`value` is what you'd get back (annotated with its OWN precision verdict, since
the offered value may itself still be inexact — e.g. 10/3 never terminates),
and `value_hex_dump` is that offered value in hex. It is NOT the answer to the
call you made (that stays in the top-level `value`); it is null whenever there
is nothing to offer.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| expression | Yes | ||
| mode | No | fixed-point | |
| min_fixed_point_precision | No |