double/float precision question

[TP]

Hi everybody,

Try the following python statements:

>>> "%.40f" % 0.2222222222222222222222222222222
'0.2222222222222222098864108374982606619596'
>>> float( 0.2222222222222222222222222222222)
0.22222222222222221

It seems the first result is the same than the following C program:
################
#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    double a = 0.2222222222222222222222222222222;

    printf( "%.40f\n", a );
    return 0;
}
#################

My problem is the following:
* the precision "40" (for example) is given by the user, not by the
programmer.
* I want to use the string conversion facility with specifier "e", that
yields number is scientific format; so I cannot apply float() on the result
of "%.40e" % 0.2222222222222222222222222222222, I would lost the scientific
format.

Is there any means to obtain the full C double in Python, or should I limit
the precision given by the user (and used in "%.*e") to the one of a Python
float?

Thanks in advance

Julien

-- 
python -c "print ''.join([chr(154 - ord(c)) for c in '*9(9&(18%.\
9&1+,\'Z4(55l4('])"

"When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is
possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is
impossible, he is very probably wrong." (first law of AC Clarke)