[Python-ideas] PEP 485: A Function for testing approximate equality

[Paul Moore]

On 23 January 2015 at 00:40, Chris Barker <chris.barker at noaa.gov> wrote:
> Behavior near zero
> ------------------
>
> Relative comparison is problematic if either value is zero. In this
> case, the difference is relative to zero, and thus will always be
> smaller than the prescribed tolerance.

I'm not sure I follow the specifics but this is saying that everything
will be close to zero. Isn't that the wrong way round? I thought the
comments in the discussion on the list were saying that the problem
with relative tolerance is that *nothing* is close to zero?

Paul