Average Error: 29.3 → 7.5
Time: 1.4m
Precision: 64
Internal Precision: 128
\[\sqrt{\left|\frac{a \cdot a - b \cdot b}{a \cdot a}\right|}\]
↓
\[\sqrt{\left|1 - \frac{b}{a} \cdot \frac{b}{a}\right|}\]

Error

Bits error versus a

Bits error versus b

Derivation

  1. Initial program 29.3

    \[\sqrt{\left|\frac{a \cdot a - b \cdot b}{a \cdot a}\right|}\]

  2. Simplified7.5

    \[\leadsto \color{blue}{\sqrt{\left|1 - \frac{b}{a} \cdot \frac{b}{a}\right|}}\]

  3. Final simplification7.5

    \[\leadsto \sqrt{\left|1 - \frac{b}{a} \cdot \frac{b}{a}\right|}\]

Reproduce

herbie shell --seed 2019088 
(FPCore (a b)
  :name "Eccentricity of an ellipse"
  :pre (<= 0 b a 1)
  (sqrt (fabs (/ (- (* a a) (* b b)) (* a a)))))