| From: | PG Bug reporting form <noreply(at)postgresql(dot)org> |
|---|---|
| To: | pgsql-bugs(at)lists(dot)postgresql(dot)org |
| Cc: | fmusqlgen(at)163(dot)com |
| Subject: | BUG #19467: Inconsistency in MOD() result involving POWER() and floating-point precision in PostgreSQL |
| Date: | 2026-04-27 06:44:56 |
| Message-ID: | 19467-b75f37ccc0b69261@postgresql.org |
| Views: | Whole Thread | Raw Message | Download mbox | Resend email |
| Thread: | |
| Lists: | pgsql-bugs |
The following bug has been logged on the website:
Bug reference: 19467
Logged by: Jasper Andrew
Email address: fmusqlgen(at)163(dot)com
PostgreSQL version: 18.1
Operating system: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS x86_64
Description:
The following query produces inconsistent results across different database
systems:
```SQL
select mod(coalesce(pow(3.00,70.31),93.23),ceiling(sign(58.81)))
from comments as ref_0;
```
# Observed Behavior
- On MySQL, DuckDB, and MonetDB, the result is consistently:
```text
mod
------
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(4 rows)
```
- On PostgreSQL, the same query returns:
```text
mod
------
0.41
0.41
0.41
0.41
(4 rows)
```
# Expected Behavior
Given that:
- sign(58.81) evaluates to 1
- ceiling(1) evaluates to 1
the expression simplifies to:
- mod(pow(3.00, 70.31), 1)
Mathematically, this corresponds to the fractional part of 3^70.31, which
should be deterministic for a given evaluation strategy.
However, different systems produce significantly different results:
some return 0
only PostgreSQL returns 0.41
# Question
Is this discrepancy expected due to differences in floating-point evaluation
and implementation of functions such as:
- POWER() / pow()
- MOD()
- implicit type handling (e.g., double precision vs numeric)
Or could this indicate a potential inconsistency in how PostgreSQL evaluates
floating-point expressions compared to other systems?
| From | Date | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next Message | Michael Paquier | 2026-04-27 07:23:01 | Re: to_date()/to_timestamp() silently accept month=0 and day=0 |
| Previous Message | Ayush Tiwari | 2026-04-27 05:37:43 | Re: BUG #19466: Server crash (SIGSEGV) when FETCH after ALTER TYPE during open cursor |