Python 2.x breaks cmp() (was Re: A suspected bug)

[ssthapa at classes.cs.uchicago.edu]

Aahz Maruch <aahz at panix.com> wrote:
>>>>> L=[1j, 2j]
>>>>> L.sort()
>>Traceback (most recent call last):
>>  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
>>TypeError: cannot compare complex numbers using <, <=, >, >=
>>>>>
>
>Is there any chance this can be treated as a bug and fixed for the
>release of 2.1?  Alternatively, given that we're already breaking code
>with the change in the way complex numbers are handled, should cmp() now
>raise an exception *every* time the type/class differs?

  If you are referring to the comparision of complex numbers, I'm not
sure how the ordering would be done.   For example consider 1 and 1j, 
they have the same magnitude so mathematically speaking there is no
way to consistently order them like the real numbers where magnitude
is a more useful measure. IIRC, for any given magnitude n there are an
infinite number of complex numbers with that magnitude, namely all n*e^(ix)
for real x.


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