Why Does `pow(5, 2)` Return 24 Instead of 25?

Why Does pow(5, 2) Return 24?

In your calculator program, you're facing an unexpected behavior with the power function. While you expect 5^2 to equal 25, pow(5, 2) is returning 24. This discrepancy arises due to the data type handling of the pow() function.

The pow() function returns floating-point numbers. In your specific case, pow(5, 2) actually returns 24.99997 or a similar floating-point value. However, since you're assigning the result to an integer variable, it gets truncated to the nearest integer, resulting in 24.

To address this issue, there are two considerations:

1. Rounding vs. Truncation: For the power function, it's appropriate to round the floating-point result to the nearest integer. This ensures accuracy without introducing rounding errors. You can achieve this by adding 0.5 to the result before assigning it to the integer variable:

   int answer;
   answer = pow(number1,number2)+0.5;

2. Square Root: On the other hand, assigning square root results to an integer is generally not recommended. Square roots often have decimal places, and truncating them can lead to significant accuracy loss. It's better to keep square roots as floating-point values for more precise computations.

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