Thread Subject: cast complex number into single

Hi. In the example below, I'm trying to turn a double precision complex number into a single precision complex number. It doesn't seem to be working ... am I doing something wrong ?
================
a=rand+1i*rand;
cast(a,'single');

>> class(a)
double

% I expected it to be single

cast(real(a),'single');cast(imag(a),'single');
>> class(a)
double

>> class(imag(a))
double
================

"Juliette Salexa" <juliette.physicist@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ijhvs7$8dn$1@fred.mathworks.com...
> Hi. In the example below, I'm trying to turn a double precision complex
> number into a single precision complex number. It doesn't seem to be
> working ... am I doing something wrong ?
> ================
> a=rand+1i*rand;
> cast(a,'single');
>
>>> class(a)
> double
>
> % I expected it to be single

No. The CAST function returned the value in a converted to single
precision, but you threw that value away since you didn't assign it to
anything. Call it with an output argument.

--
Steve Lord
slord@mathworks.com
To contact Technical Support use the Contact Us link on
http://www.mathworks.com

Thanks Steve!
I should really have known that by now =(
I apologize for wasting forum space with such an ignorant question!

But thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Juliette