From bolker at ufl.edu  Sun Feb 17 03:12:21 2008
From: bolker at ufl.edu (Ben Bolker)
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:12:21 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Rd]
	=?utf-8?q?choose_incorrect_for_fractional_and_some_negative_?=
	=?utf-8?q?integer=09values_=28PR=2310766=29?=
References: <20080215214503.5D115283416B@mail.pubhealth.ku.dk>
Message-ID: <loom.20080217T021036-101@post.gmane.org>

 <Jerry.Lewis <at> biogenidec.com> writes:

> 
> Full_Name: Jerry W. Lewis
> Version: 2.6.2
> OS: Windows XP Professional
> Submission from: (NULL) (198.180.131.16)
> 
> choose() returns incorrect values for all fractional arguments, regardless of
> sign.  It returns 0 when both arguments are negative integers, which is not
> always correct (as in some formulations of the negative hypergeometric).
> 
> Examples (correct answers from Maple's binomial function):
> 
> choose( 4.75,2.75)  # should be 8.90625

  [snip]

  The help page does say that k is supposed to be an integer -- so
I don't think this is a bug.
  Should the function either (a) test for k == (or close to ==) an integer
or (b) be rewritten to work more generally?

  Ben



[Rd] =?utf-8?q?choose_incorrect_for_fractional_and_some_negative_?= =?utf-8?q?integer=09values_=28PR=2310766=29?=
Ben Bolker