c# float [] average loses accuracy

Question

I am trying to calculate average for an array of floats. I need to use indices because this is inside a binary search so the top and bottom will move. (Big picture we are trying

Answer 1

Just to add to the conversation, be careful when using Floating point primitives.

What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic

Internally floating point numbers store additional least significant bits that are not reflected in the displayed value (aka: Guard Bits or Guard Digits). They are, however, utilized when performing mathematical operations and equality checks. One common result is that a variable containing 0f is not always zero. When accumulating floating point values this can also lead to precision errors.

Use Decimal for your accumulator:

1. Will not have rounding errors due to Guard Digits
2. Is a 128bit data type (less likely to exceed Max Value in your accumulator).

For more info: What is the difference between Decimal, Float and Double in C#?