class="math inline">\(F_Y\)</span> is the
cumulative distribution function (CDF) for the random variable <span class="math inline">\(Y\)</span>.
This allows values very close to one to be represented in
complementary form.</p>
</div>
<div id="catastrophic-cancellation" class="section level3">
<h3><span class="header-section-number">15.3.4</span> Catastrophic cancellation</h3>
<p>Another downside to floating point representations is that
subtraction of two numbers close to each other results in a loss of
pre