Re: Calculator Accuracy

From	Geoff Clare <geoff@clare.See-My-Signature.invalid>
Subject	Re: Calculator Accuracy
Newsgroups	comp.misc
References	<lkfa27$661$1@dont-email.me> <vg3r444gpb0.fsf@coffee.modeemi.fi> <lkgfj9$8kq$1@dont-email.me>
Date	2014-05-12 13:50 +0100
Message-ID	<0ms64b-uet.ln1@leafnode-msgid.gclare.org.uk> (permalink)
Organization	Zen Internet

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Gordon Henderson wrote:

> In article <vg3r444gpb0.fsf@coffee.modeemi.fi>, Anssi Saari  <as@sci.fi> wrote:
>>Gordon Henderson <gordon+usenet@drogon.net> writes:
>>
>>> With that, you do expect some rounding, but a lot of calculators were
>>> so far off the mark it was quite incredible.
>>
>>How far off the mark exactly?
> 
> From memory (30+ years!) some were out by 10's or 20's. (ie results were 45 +/- 10)
> 

I dug out my old Casio fx-1000 from the late 1970's.  It gives 0.6948
(just those four decimals, although there were more for intermediate
results).  So quite bad by modern standards, but I happily used it
when I was doing maths and science "A levels" (UK exams at age 18).

One thing that surprised me using it again is how slow it is.  Roughly
a whole second for each trig function.  I suppose it must have seemed
normal back then.

-- 
Geoff Clare <netnews@gclare.org.uk>

Thread

Calculator Accuracy Gordon Henderson <gordon+usenet@drogon.net> - 2014-05-08 07:00 +0000
  Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-08 08:39 +0100
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Andy Burns <usenet.feb2014@adslpipe.co.uk> - 2014-05-08 09:14 +0100
    Re: Calculator Accuracy Andy Burns <usenet.feb2014@adslpipe.co.uk> - 2014-05-12 19:02 +0100
  Re: Calculator Accuracy "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-05-08 09:43 +0100
    Re: Calculator Accuracy Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> - 2014-05-08 09:53 +0100
      Re: Calculator Accuracy "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-05-08 10:22 +0100
        Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-08 12:17 +0100
          Re: Calculator Accuracy RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-08 14:09 +0000
            Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-08 16:04 +0100
            Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-08 16:49 +0000
              Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-09 00:03 +0000
            Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-09 00:10 +0000
              Re: Calculator Accuracy RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-09 21:32 +0000
                Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-10 03:30 +0000
            Re: Calculator Accuracy "G. Paul Ziemba" <paul+usenet@w6yx.stanford.edu> - 2014-05-09 03:43 +0000
    Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-08 10:55 +0100
      Re: Calculator Accuracy "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-05-08 11:23 +0100
      Re: Calculator Accuracy Hils <hils@saynotospam.net> - 2014-05-08 12:09 +0100
        Re: Calculator Accuracy Hils <hils@saynotospam.net> - 2014-05-08 23:02 +0100
          Re: Calculator Accuracy Marc Auslander <marcslists@gmail.NOSPAM.com> - 2014-05-08 19:51 -0400
            Re: Calculator Accuracy Will Honea <whonea@whonea.net> - 2014-05-08 18:19 -0600
        Re: Calculator Accuracy Eric Pozharski <whynot@pozharski.name> - 2014-05-09 15:19 +0300
          Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-09 19:06 +0100
            Re: Calculator Accuracy Eric Pozharski <whynot@pozharski.name> - 2014-05-10 08:38 +0300
              Re: Calculator Accuracy Eric Pozharski <whynot@pozharski.name> - 2014-05-12 09:30 +0300
          Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-10 00:00 +0100
      Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-08 11:40 +0000
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-08 11:32 +0000
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2014-05-08 20:20 +0300
    Re: Calculator Accuracy Gordon Henderson <gordon+usenet@drogon.net> - 2014-05-08 17:40 +0000
      Re: Calculator Accuracy David Hume <David.Hume@example.com> - 2014-05-09 08:43 +0100
        Re: Calculator Accuracy Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-09 10:42 +0000
        Re: Calculator Accuracy Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail.com> - 2014-05-09 21:56 +0100
      Re: Calculator Accuracy Geoff Clare <geoff@clare.See-My-Signature.invalid> - 2014-05-12 13:50 +0100
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Caecilius <nospam@spamless.invalid> - 2014-05-08 19:34 +0100
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Caecilius <nospam@spamless.invalid> - 2014-05-08 19:38 +0100
    Re: Calculator Accuracy Hils <hils@saynotospam.net> - 2014-05-08 22:06 +0100
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Paul Sture <nospam@sture.ch> - 2014-05-10 21:24 +0200
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-11 16:22 +0000
    Re: Calculator Accuracy Will Honea <whonea@whonea.net> - 2014-05-11 15:41 -0600
      Re: Calculator Accuracy Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> - 2014-05-11 23:02 +0100
  Re: Calculator Accuracy David Harmon <source@netcom.com> - 2014-05-12 18:20 -0700
  Re: Calculator Accuracy Yeechang Lee <ylee@pobox.com> - 2014-07-25 20:26 -0700

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