OverflowError: math range error...

[Robert Kern]

Sheldon wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a written a script that will check to see if the divisor is zero
> before executing but python will not allow this:
> 
> if statistic_array[0:4] > 0.0:
> statistic_array[0,0:4] =
> int(multiply(divide(statistic_array[0,0:4],statistic_array \
> [0,4]),10000.0))/100.0
> 
> Does anyone know why Python is complaining:
> 
> "statistic_array[0,0:4] =
> int(multiply(divide(statistic_array[0,0:4],statistic_array[0,4]),10000.0))/100.0
> 
> OverflowError: math range error"
> 
> and how do I get around this problem? This stupid because there is a if
> statement preventing this "dividing by zero".

What kind of arrays are you using? If it's Numeric (and I think it is because 
numarray and numpy would throw an error at the if: statement), then your test is 
incorrect.

Comparisons yield arrays of boolean values. When a Numeric boolean array is used 
as a truth value (like in an if: statement), then it will return True is *any* 
of the values are True. Use Numeric.alltrue(statistic_array[:4] > 0.0) instead.

Both numarray and numpy throw an exception when one attempts to use arrays as 
truth values since the desired meaning (alltrue or sometrue) is ambiguous.

-- 
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