On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 19:55, Paul Anton Letnes <paul.anton.letnes@gmail.com> wrote:
On 20. feb. 2012, at 16:29, Sturla Molden wrote:
- in newer standards it has some nontrivial mathematical functions: gamma, bessel, etc. that numpy lacks right now
That belongs to SciPy.
I don't see exactly why. Why should numpy have exponential but not gamma functions? The division seems kinda arbitrary. Not that I am arguing violently for bessel functions in numpy.
The semi-arbitrary dividing line that we have settled on is C99. If a special function is in the C99 standard, we'll accept an implementation for it in numpy. Part (well, most) of the rationale is just to have a clear dividing line even if it's fairly arbitrary. The other part is that if a decidedly non-mathematically-focused standard like C99 includes a special function in its standard library, then odds are good that it's something that is widely used enough as a building block for other things. -- Robert Kern "I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth." -- Umberto Eco