I tried this. I don't know if it is a bug.
(%i1) fpprec:100$
(%i2) bfloat(bessel_k(-1/6,6^3/3)),numer;
(%o2) 7.9346061457579466752056762821[45 digits]48713376730743163101067239b-33
Rich
------------Original Message------------
From: "Stavros Macrakis" <macrakis at alum.mit.edu>
To: "Richard Hennessy" <rvh2007 at comcast.net>
Cc: "Maxima List" <maxima at math.utexas.edu>
Date: Fri, Jul-11-2008 0:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Maxima] Bessel big floats
On Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 10:58 PM, Richard Hennessy <rvh2007 at comcast.net> wrote:
I am getting weird results when I try to compute the bessel_k function to 40 or 50 places. I think that the bessel_k function is just returning a float and the big float is just random digits from the 17th digit on. Is this the correct analysis?
Yes, bessel_k returns a float. What do you mean when you say "try to compute ... to 40 or 50 places"? If it is returning a numerical value for a bfloat argument, that is a bug.
In the future, please include a brief code snippet demonstrating your problem. It will make it easier to diagnose.
-s