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hypot
Compute the hypotenuse avoiding overflow and underflow.
Installation
npm install @stdlib/math-base-special-hypot
Usage
var hypot = require( '@stdlib/math-base-special-hypot' );
hypot( x, y )
Computes the hypotenuse avoiding overflow and underflow.
var h = hypot( -5.0, 12.0 );
h = hypot( -0.0, -0.0 );
If either argument is NaN and the other argument is not +-Infinity, the function returns NaN.
var h = hypot( NaN, 12.0 );
h = hypot( 5.0, NaN );
Notes
-
The textbook approach to calculating the hypotenuse is subject to overflow and underflow. For example, for a sufficiently large x and/or y, computing the hypotenuse will overflow.
var sqrt = require( '@stdlib/math-base-special-sqrt' );
var x2 = 1.0e154 * 1.0e154;
var h = sqrt( x2 + x2 );
Similarly, for sufficiently small x and/or y, computing the hypotenuse will underflow.
var sqrt = require( '@stdlib/math-base-special-sqrt' );
var x2 = 1.0e-200 * 1.0e-200;
var h = sqrt( x2 + x2 );
This implementation uses a numerically stable algorithm which avoids overflow and underflow.
var h = hypot( 1.0e154, 1.0e154 );
h = hypot( 1.0e-200, 1.0e-200 );
Examples
var discreteUniform = require( '@stdlib/random-array-discrete-uniform' );
var logEachMap = require( '@stdlib/console-log-each-map' );
var hypot = require( '@stdlib/math-base-special-hypot' );
var opts = {
'dtype': 'float64'
};
var x = discreteUniform( 100, -50, 50, opts );
var y = discreteUniform( 100, -50, 50, opts );
logEachMap( 'h(%d,%d) = %0.4f', x, y, hypot );
C APIs
Usage
#include "stdlib/math/base/special/hypot.h"
stdlib_base_hypot( x, y )
Computes the hypotenuse avoiding overflow and underflow.
double h = stdlib_base_hypot( 5.0, 12.0 );
The function accepts the following arguments:
- x:
[in] double input value.
- y:
[in] double input value.
double stdlib_base_hypot( const double x, const double y );
Examples
#include "stdlib/math/base/special/hypot.h"
#include <stdio.h>
int main( void ) {
const double x[] = { 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 12.0 };
double y;
int i;
for ( i = 0; i < 4; i += 2 ) {
y = stdlib_base_hypot( x[ i ], x[ i+1 ] );
printf( "hypot(%lf, %lf) = %lf\n", x[ i ], x[ i+1 ], y );
}
}
Notice
This package is part of stdlib, a standard library for JavaScript and Node.js, with an emphasis on numerical and scientific computing. The library provides a collection of robust, high performance libraries for mathematics, statistics, streams, utilities, and more.
For more information on the project, filing bug reports and feature requests, and guidance on how to develop stdlib, see the main project repository.

License
See LICENSE.
Copyright
Copyright © 2016-2026. The Stdlib Authors.