[metapost] value too large?

[Taco Hoekwater]

Martin Kaffanke wrote:
> Hi there!
> 
> When I do v := 10**i  (where i comes from for i=0 upto 7) I get a value
> too large message.
> 
> When I do this allredy in the label() so I don't need the v, i get an
> arithmetic overflow.
> 
> how can I deal with that?

Not wanting to post a long story, a useful pointer:

   http://tug.org/docs/metapost/mpgraph.pdf

Especially, check out section 3: "Manipulating Big Numbers"

I don't exactly know what you are trying to achieve, but if you
are attempting to create plots, you are probably better off with a
tool written specifically for that task (GNUplot comes to mind).

Best wishes,
Taco