~/project/visMineBench>java -version
java version "1.3.0"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.3.0-C)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.3.0-C, mixed mode)

Java should incorporate the following methods into java.lang.Math:

      copySign(x,y)  returns x with the sign of y.
      scalb(y,n)     returns y * 2n for integers n without
                     explicitly computing 2n.
      nextAfter(x,y) returns the next representable neighbor of x in the
                     direction towards y.
      unordered(x,y) Returns true is one of its arguments is unordered
                     with respect to the other.
                     This occurs when at least one is a NaN.
      fpClass(x)     Returns an integer that indicates which of the
                     nine "kinds" of IEEE floating-point numbers x is.
      logb(x)        Returns the unbiased exponent of x.

These descriptions are copied from:
http://math.nist.gov/javanumerics/reports/jgfnwg-01.html

It also says there that IEEE 754 recommends these methods.
(Review ID: 115478) 
======================================================================
Posted Date : 2005-10-25 02:38:53.0

N/A

It is too late to get these methods into Merlin (I tried); they should be added in the next major Java release.

  xxxxx@xxxxx   2001-03-27

Trying for Tiger release; will track developments in IEEE 754 revision committee.

  xxxxx@xxxxx   2002-05-31


Not approved for Tiger.

  xxxxx@xxxxx   2003-05-08
The fix for bug 4826652 added the following methods to the Math and StrictMath classes:

copySign
getExponent
nextAfter
nextUp
scalb

These methods constitute the majority of the functionality requested in this bug.  (In my estimation, a raw getExponent is more useful than logb.)  Therefore, this bug will be closed as a duplicate of 4826652; bug 6341163 will track the remaining unimplemented minor functionality, like fpClass and unordered, as well as additional recommended functionality added by the 754 revision committee.
Posted Date : 2005-10-25 02:38:53.0

Since I needed some of these functions, I wrote a 100% Java
implementation of all of them.  These implementations are
available
as a tear-off fragment of the larger project, licensed under
the GPL.  
Naturally, my implementation will become irrelevant once
this RFE
is completed.  For further information, see
http://www.dose-of-reality.org/?IEEE754