What every agent-based modeller should know about floating point arithmetic

• Published in: Environmental modelling & software : with environment data news Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 283 - 309
• Main Authors: Polhill, J. Gary, Izquierdo, Luis R., Gotts, Nicholas M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2006
• Subjects: Agent-based modelling; Emergence; Floating point arithmetic; Interval arithmetic; Agent-based modelling; Floating point arithmetic; Interval arithmetic; Emergence
• ISSN: 1364-8152
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.10.011

Floating point arithmetic is a subject all too often ignored, yet, for agent-based models in particular, it has the potential to create misleading results, and even to influence emergent outcomes of the model. Using a simple demonstration model, this paper illustrates the problems that accumulated f...