r""" bsce.py

Show that the Python decimal module understands computer engineering notation,
in contrast with the Python math module that understands scientific notation.

Thus help Python newbies unfamiliar with __future__, with, decimal 0 +, etc.

>>> est(0)
'0'
>>> est(100)
'100'
>>> est(12300)
'12.3e+3'
>>> est(12345)
'~12.3e+3'
>>> est(987654321)
'~988e+6'
>>> est(987654321, 6)
'~987.654e+6'
>>> est(2 ** 40)
'~1.10e+12'
>>>

>>> estsci(12300)
'1.23e+4'
>>> estsci(987654321)
'~9.88e+8'
>>> estsci(987654321, 6)
'~9.87654e+8'
>>>

See also: http://www.google.com/search?q=python+notation+engineering+scientific
See also: http://www.etsimo.uniovi.es/python/pycon/2005/papers/24/
See also: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-decimal.html
"""

from __future__ import with_statement

import decimal
import math

def est(count, prec = 3):

        """ Return the count or an approximately equal value in engr. notation. """

        with decimal.localcontext(decimal.Context(prec = prec)):
                eng = (0 + decimal.Decimal(count)).to_eng_string().lower()
                est = eng if count == int(float(eng)) else '~' + eng
                return est

def estsci(count, prec = 3):

        """ Return the count or an approximately equal value in sci. notation. """

        exp = int(math.log(count, 10))
        sci = ('%.' + str(prec - 1) + 'fe+%d') % (count / (10.0 ** exp), exp)
        est = sci if count == int(float(sci)) else '~' + sci
        return est

if __name__ == '__main__':

        import doctest

        (failings, testings) = doctest.testmod(optionflags = doctest.ELLIPSIS)

CategoryFaq