Boost C++ Libraries

...one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed C++ library projects in the world. Herb Sutter and Andrei Alexandrescu, C++ Coding Standards

This is the documentation for an old version of Boost. Click here to view this page for the latest version.
PrevUpHomeNext

Using Boost.Math with High-Precision Floating-Point Libraries

Why use a high-precision library rather than built-in floating-point types?
Using Boost.Multiprecision
Using with GCC's __float128 datatype
Using With MPFR or GMP - High-Precision Floating-Point Library
Using e_float Library
Using NTL Library
Using without expression templates for Boost.Test and others

The special functions, distributions, constants and tools in this library can be used with a number of high-precision libraries, including:

The last four have some license restrictions; only Boost.Multiprecision when using the cpp_float backend can provide an unrestricted Boost license.

At present, the price of a free license is slightly lower speed.

Of course, the main cost of higher precision is very much decreased (usually at least hundred-fold) computation speed, and big increases in memory use.

Some libraries offer true arbitrary precision arithmetic where the precision is limited only by avilable memory and compute time, but most are used at some arbitrarily-fixed precision, say 100 decimal digits.

Boost.Multiprecision can operate in both ways, but the most popular choice is likely to be about a hundred decimal digits, though examples of computing tens of thousands of digits have been demonstrated.


PrevUpHomeNext