Significant figures are being trimmed when I read from a .txt file

Hello, and thank you in advance for your time.

I am trying to read data from text files. The first column contains absolute time, so the data points look something like this: 3.55560341707837150E+9. However, the data is being truncated to show only this: 3.5556e+09.

It is very important that I use all of the digits, as I need to look at very small increments of time between certain points.

Here is the code I use to access the files:

[fileName1,filePath1] = uigetfile('*', 'Select force data file', '.');
force = load( fullfile(filePath1,fileName1) );

[fileName2,filePath2] = uigetfile('*', 'Select lvdt data file', '.');
volt = load( fullfile(filePath2,fileName2) );

In what way could I alter this code to ensure that all significant figures are read?

[Stephen23]

"the data is being truncated to show only this"

Yes, it only shows that. But the data is stored in MATLAB's memory as a full double floating point value, which means 15-17 significant digits.

Answer 1

[Stephen23]

Your data is there, this is just a question of how it is displayed. Read the format documentation for other display precisions:

>> 3.55560341707837150E+9
ans =
   3.5556e+09
>> format longg
>> 3.55560341707837150E+9
ans =
          3555603417.07837
>> format longe
>> 3.55560341707837150E+9
ans =
     3.555603417078372e+09

Answer 2

[Star Strider]

You’re limited to 16 significant figures in MATLAB double-precision variables:

format long
Q1 = 3.55560341707837150E+9

Q1 =
     3.555603417078372e+09