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Paul Schlie wrote:
- Should there be an observable difference between assoc failing to find a match given operands with well defined values, vs. given operands having un-specified values?
Values are values. When we say "this expression returns an unspecified value" we mean "this expression returns a value, but precisely which value is unspecified". There is nothing special about unspecified values. So, no, assoc should not (indeed, cannot) do anything special with unspecified values because assoc sees them as plain values.
- Should a comparison operation (= 0 X) return #t #f or something else if the value of X is an unspecified NaN value? [as such a value may or may not be 0]?
Section 5.7 of IEEE 754 says #f.
- what should (list-ref x y) return if y had an un-specified value?
NaNs are inexact, so this should signal an error as y must be exact.
- or more generally, what value should (car #t) or (if #f #f) return?
The former should signal an error and the value of the latter is unspecified.
Regards, Alan -- Dr Alan Watson Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica Universidad Astronómico Nacional de México