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Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough

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On 17/05/16 19:02, Eric Sosman wrote:
> On 5/17/2016 1:10 PM, Duncan Idaho wrote:
>> ... jeez,
>> math has always made my head spin
>
>      Okay -- but if you're going to be any good at programming you'd
> better get at least *some* grounding.  For example: Can you see the
> connection between your original question ("How many 8-char strings
> from an alphabet of 26 characters?") and the question of how many
> 8-digit base-62 numbers there are?  If not, it may be time to re-
> examine your career choices ...  :)

Well that's very interesting.

>      Also, I'd encourage you to develop some facility at mental
> arithmetic.

I came to computing late in life. I was 30 before I got into them (around 1988)
prior to that I grew hardy nursery stock for a living (hard work) and ran a plant stall at the local market
In the spring, at the market I would serve 3 customers at a time, keeping a running total for each in my head.
I rarely made a mistake. I can do mental arithmetic. The problem comes when I see numbers written down
I can't even dial a telephone number if it's written down on paper. If it's in my head no problem.

As for making career out of computers, well I retired at 48 entirely because I just 'got' the whole software engineering thing.
No idea where it comes from but give me a paper based business and I'll transpose it to silicon, in Java, and make it work.
Solutions just pop into my head. Now I code for fun, run a small on line business and help other 'matures' to learn 
'programming' some of them 'just do it' others I can sit there with for hours and get nowhere.

My problem (apparently) is known as partial number blindness. If I see numbers written down my brain just shuts down.
It's a recognized learning disability. Strangely enough I used to do very well (90%+) in the formal notations exams.

I actually find mathematics fascinating, I wish I could 'do it'

Ah well

Thanks for taking the time to reply

Idaho


> Not multiplying eight-digit numbers or anything like
> that, but more along the lines I illustrated a couple posts ago,
> using a bunch of sloppy but handy approximations to sanity-check
> a result you got from your calculator.  It's not that the sloppy
> result is "reliable" -- mine was only correct to one significant
> digit! -- but if the calculator and the approximation are vastly
> different, like 2E14 and 6E8, that should alert you to go back and
> double-check before trusting either answer.
>


-- 
Duncan Idaho
!(ghola mentat)

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Mathematics, Java, good enough Duncan Idaho <duncan@dunenoemail.com> - 2016-05-17 11:49 +0100
  Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-05-17 04:55 -0700
  Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Nigel Wade <nmw@ion.le.ac.uk> - 2016-05-17 12:56 +0100
    Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Nigel Wade <nmw@ion.le.ac.uk> - 2016-05-17 13:06 +0100
    Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Duncan Idaho <duncan@dunenoemail.com> - 2016-05-17 13:29 +0100
      Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 09:54 -0400
        Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough FredK <fred.l.kleinschmidt@gmail.com> - 2016-05-17 07:17 -0700
          Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough FredK <fred.l.kleinschmidt@gmail.com> - 2016-05-17 07:29 -0700
            Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 10:58 -0400
              Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Duncan Idaho <duncan@dunenoemail.com> - 2016-05-17 18:10 +0100
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 14:02 -0400
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 14:10 -0400
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-05-17 11:36 -0700
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 16:12 -0400
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2016-05-17 13:56 -0700
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2016-05-17 14:13 -0700
                Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Duncan Idaho <duncan@dunenoemail.com> - 2016-05-18 05:06 +0100
  Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 08:25 -0400
  Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2016-05-17 12:24 +0000
  Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Duncan Idaho <duncan@dunenoemail.com> - 2016-05-17 18:15 +0100
    Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2016-05-17 13:33 -0400
    Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 14:09 -0400
      Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2016-05-17 14:17 -0700
        Re: Mathematics, Java, good enough Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2016-05-17 17:49 -0400

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