How can I make 1+$MachineEpsilon not look like 1? I undarstand that 1+$MachineEpsilon is actually not equal 1. However, it persists to look like it was equal 1.

In[1]:= 1 + $MachineEpsilon Out[1]= 1.  This is inappropriate in some cases, as in the following example: Manipulate[ Row@{TraditionalForm@HoldForm@Defer@ (1/(x - 1)), "\[Equal]", TraditionalForm@(1/(x - 1))}, {x, 1 +$MachineEpsilon, 2,
Appearance -> "Labeled"}]


The above input gives this:

Which very much looks like as if we had some division by zero.

How to fix this? How to display this 1+$MachineEpsilon more accurately? So far, I've tried this: In[3]:= N[1 + $$MachineEpsilon,$$MachinePrecision] Out[3]= 1.  I fail to understand the above output - 1+$MachineEpsilon is supposed to be a machine number, and therefore it should be accurately representable with $MachinePrecision digits of precision, shouldn't it? • Perhaps SetOptions[$FrontEndSession, PrintPrecision -> 17]? Jan 12 '15 at 0:31
• @MichaelE2 Sadly, no. See: i61.tinypic.com/f5dgrk.jpg The formula result is ridiculously accurate, but 1. persists. Jan 12 '15 at 0:36
• @MichaelE2 Oddly enough, outside Manipulate the precision is correct: i57.tinypic.com/krns3.png Jan 12 '15 at 0:46

I think that the input field that is used to display the current value of x has its own formatting rules and altering them seems difficult. It does not follow PrintPrecision (as in SetOptions[$FrontEndSession, PrintPrecision -> 17], which works for output in an output cell). So a workaround is to specify the Precision of the displayed x, such that the normal formatting rule shows enough digits. SetPrecision[x, 17] would be sufficient. Manipulate[ Row@{TraditionalForm@HoldForm@Defer@(1/(x - 1)), "\[Equal]", TraditionalForm@(1/(x - 1))}, {x, 1 +$MachineEpsilon, 2,
Manipulator[
Dynamic[SetPrecision[x, 17], (x = #) &], {1 + $MachineEpsilon, 2}, Appearance -> "Labeled"] &}]  See this answer for some further insight into how the Manipulator is formatted. • Many thanks, it works! BTW: SetPrecision[1 +$MachineEpsilon, MachinePrecision + 1] gives 1.0000000000000002, as it should; but SetPrecision[1 + $MachineEpsilon, MachinePrecision] gives 1. Why? 1+$MachineEpsilon is a machine number, so why can't it be displayed with machine precision? And why does N[1 + $MachineEpsilon, 100] still give 1.? Jan 12 '15 at 1:54 • @gaazkam The precision of 1 +$MachineEpsilon is MachinePrecision, so SetPrecision[1 + $MachineEpsilon, MachinePrecision] does nothing. SetPrecision[x,$MachinePrecision] almost works, but not quite, because 1 + $MachineEpsilon is a little bigger than 1. You could get by with $MachinePrecision + 0.1. It's a bit complicated for a comment, but machine numbers are represented with a finite number of bits and the notion of Precision is relative to the size of x. There are discrete jumps in precision when the exponent changes. N[x, 100] won't increase the precision of x. Jan 12 '15 at 2:46

Without modifying the precision, you can also just modify the display of the number:

1 + $MachineEpsilon // FullForm (* 1.0000000000000002 *) 1 +$MachineEpsilon // InputForm
(* 1.0000000000000002 *)


So something like this could work for you:

Manipulate[
`