fabsl - Linux

Overview

fabsl is a command-line utility for calculating the absolute value (magnitude) of a floating-point number. It provides a practical way to convert negative numbers to their positive counterparts, making it useful in various scientific, mathematical, and engineering applications.

Syntax

fabsl [options] <floating-point-number>

Options/Flags

• -h, –help: Displays help information and usage instructions.
• -v, –version: Prints the version of fabsl.
• -d, –debug: Enables debug mode, providing additional information for troubleshooting.

Examples

• Calculate the absolute value of -10.5:

fabsl -10.5

• Store the absolute value of a variable in a shell script:

value=-5.2
abs_value=$(fabsl $value)

Common Issues

• Ensure that the input value is a valid floating-point number. Non-numeric or invalid inputs will result in an error.
• Handle negative infinity gracefully. fabsl does not convert negative infinity to positive infinity.

Integration

fabsl can be used in conjunction with other commands to enhance functionality:

• With bc: Calculate the absolute value within a more complex expression:

echo "scale=2; fabsl(-10.55)" | bc

Related Commands

• abs: Calculates the absolute value of an integer.
• Fortran abs: Absolute value function in Fortran programming language.

For further information, refer to the official documentation on Fortran’s abs function: https://www.tutorialspoint.com/fortran/fortran_abs.htm