topic Is there any difference between using D or E in scientific notation in SAS? in SAS Programming

Is there any difference between using D or E in scientific notation in SAS?

whymath — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 03:03:41 GMT

data _null_;
  x=0.123456789d2;
  y=0.123456789e2;
  z=x=y;
  put x= /y= /z=;
run;

x=12.3456789
y=12.3456789
z=1

I can use D or E in scientific notation in SAS, is there any difference between them?

Re: Is there any difference between using D or E in scientific notation in SAS?

Tom — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 04:24:48 GMT

Not to SAS.

Re: Is there any difference between using D or E in scientific notation in SAS?

s_lassen — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 07:53:22 GMT

I think the D notation comes from FORTRAN, where it is used to denote double-precision numbers (64-bit floating-point numbers, as opposed to 32 bit - like a C double vs. float). In SAS, all numbers are double-precision floats, so it does not matter here. But I would recommend using the E notation, as that is more commonly understood.