printf statement causing while loop to never end

[pbyrne98]

Hi, I'm working through Programming in C by Stephen G. Kochan and am at Chapter 8: Working with Functions. Exercise 8.4 has me add a printf statement to show the value of a float variable called 'guess' each time the while loop iterates.

If I put the printf function below the calculation in the while loop all is good. When I experimented and added a second printf statement above the calculation I get the never-ending print.

This was curious enough to post, as I wouldn't have thought a printf statement could impact anything to do with the actual while termination point.

Thanking you in advance.

Paul.

here goes with the tags

float squareRoot (float x)
{
    const float epsilon = 0.00001;
    float       guess   = 1.0;


    while (absoluteValue(guess * guess - x) >= epsilon)
        
        //take away the comment and the while loop goes forever.
        
        //printf("guess pre = %.2f\n", guess);
        guess = ( x / guess + guess ) / 2.0;
        printf("guess post = %.2f\n", guess);


    return guess;


}

[whiteflags]

The problem has everything to do with you not bracketing the while loop. Indentation does not matter in the language, it is a convenience in order for humans to read it and that is all.

If the code were to be indented the way that it would run (with the statement uncommented) it would look like this.

float squareRoot (float x)
{
    const float epsilon = 0.00001;
    float guess = 1.0;
    
    while (absoluteValue(guess * guess - x) >= epsilon)
        printf("guess pre = %.2f\n", guess);
    
    guess = ( x / guess + guess ) / 2.0;
    printf("guess post = %.2f\n", guess);
    return guess;
}

So of course the loop runs forever as the guess never improves...

[rstanley]

I strongly recommend using curly braces for all control statements, and loops, if, while, do-while, and for, even if there is only one statement to be executed in the block. It makes it clear for you and anyone else maintaining the code. Compare the following to your code and see how clear it reads:

float squareRoot(float x)
{
   const float epsilon = 0.00001;
   float       guess   = 1.0;
 
   while(absoluteValue(guess * guess - x) >= epsilon)
   {
      // There is no question what statements are executed by this while statement! ;^)
      printf("guess pre = %.2f\n", guess);
      guess = ( x / guess + guess ) / 2.0;
   }  
      
   printf("guess post = %.2f\n", guess);
 
   return guess;
}

That is my #1 problem with python. It forces you to use indentation to define a block of code, instead of simple braces!

[laserlight]

That is my #1 problem with python. It forces you to use indentation to define a block of code, instead of simple braces!

Don't see a problem for Python because the language rules are different, hence indentation alone makes the flow of control clear. Because the rules are not so for C, indentation alone could be misleading, e.g., a mistake is possible under maintenance such that this:

if (x)
    foo();

could become:

if (x)
    foo();
    bar();

and the intent is not clear without context. Whereas in Python, the intent would be crystal clear without context. Hence, always using braces in C ensures that intent is clear even under maintenance, with indentation as a stylistic visual guide for the flow of control rather than both mechanism and visual guide.