[R] Bug or new concept in formatC?

[BXC (Bendix Carstensen)]

As a sequel to my previous mail on cut, formatC does not produce 
what I have been taught is significant digits:

> x <- c(1.0793,1.0796, 11.0954, 11.0736 )
> formatC(x,digits=3,format="g")
[1] "1.08" "1.08" "11.1" "11.1"

(3,3,3,3) significant digits OK

> formatC(x,digits=3,format="f")
[1] "1.079"  "1.080"  "11.095" "11.074"

(3,3,3,3) digits after point, [(4,4,5,5) significant] OK

> formatC(x,digits=4,format="g")
[1] "1.079" " 1.08" " 11.1" "11.07"

(4,3,3,4) significant digits --- not OK (?)

Apparently formatC thinks that trailing 0s cannot count as significant.
Is this a bug or another concept of significant digits?

Bendix Carstensen

----------------------
Bendix Carstensen
Senior Statistician
Steno Diabetes Centre
Niels Steensens Vej 2
DK-2820 Gentofte
Denmark
tel: +45 44 43 87 38
mob: +45 28 25 87 38
fax: +45 44 43 73 13
bxc at novonordisk.com
www.biostat.ku.dk/~bxc
----------------------


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