a little bug for the function 'sprintf' (PR#14161)
The thing that is confusing you is that strings are DISPLAYED using the same escape-character mechanisms as used for input. Compare
cat(s)
Sven is 7.100000 feet tall
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Treachery_of_Images http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M Hadley