Document the number of exponent digits.

p4raw-id: //depot/perl@6729

diff --git a/pod/perlfunc.pod b/pod/perlfunc.pod
index 5c8f88a..cc1393f 100644 (file)
--- a/pod/perlfunc.pod
+++ b/pod/perlfunc.pod
@@ -4452,9 +4452,11 @@ permits these unnecessary but widely-supported conversions:
    %O  a synonym for %lo
    %F  a synonym for %f
 
-Conversions to scientific notation by C<%e>, C<%E>, C<%g> and C<%G>
-always have a two-digit exponent unless the modulus of the exponent is
-greater than 99.
+Note that the number of exponent digits in the scientific notation by
+C<%e>, C<%E>, C<%g> and C<%G> for numbers with the modulus of the
+exponent less than 100 is system-dependent: it may be three or less
+(zero-padded as necessary).  In other words, 1.23 times ten to the
+99th may be either "1.23e99" or "1.23e099".
 
 Perl permits the following universally-known flags between the C<%>
 and the conversion letter: