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Groups > comp.misc > #13382

Re: how much computers can do in one second

From Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address>
Newsgroups comp.misc
Subject Re: how much computers can do in one second
Date 2017-03-28 11:57 +1100
Message-ID <ejtqoaFgo6jU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References <8737dzq71j.fsf@therandymon.com>

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On 27/03/2017 10:43 PM, RS Wood wrote:
>
> http://computers-are-fast.github.io/
>
> Interesting website: they provide sample code and you have to guess how
> many iterations a computer can complete in a second.  Example:
>
> #include <stdlib.h>
>
> // Number to guess: How many iterations of
> // this loop can we go through in a second?
>
> int main(int argc, char **argv) {
>      int NUMBER, i, s;
>      NUMBER = atoi(argv[1]);
>
>      for (s = i = 0; i < NUMBER; ++i) {
>          s += 1;
>      }
>
>      return 0;
> }
>
> I underestimated all of them.  There's some good, related discussion on
> HackerNews at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13960183.  This stood
> out in particular:
>
> 	
> realo 19 hours ago [-]
>
> Yes, modern computers are fast. How fast?
>
> The speed of light is about 300,000 km/s. That translates to roughly 1
> ns per foot (yeah, I mix up my units... I'm Canadian...)
>
> THUS, a computer with a clock speed of 2 GHz will be able to execute, on
> a single core/thread, about 4 (four !) single-clock instructions between
> the moment photons leave your screen, and the moment they arrive into
> your eye 2 feet (roughly) later.
>
> _That_ should give you an idea of how fast modern computers really are.

A lot of that power goes into O(n^2) or worse algorithms when O(1), or 
at worst O(n) algorithms exist.

Let me coin "Sylvia's" law - the level of programmer incompetence is 
proportional to the speed of the CPU.

Sylvia.

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Thread

how much computers can do in one second RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2017-03-27 14:43 +0300
  Re: how much computers can do in one second Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-27 15:06 +0300
    Re: how much computers can do in one second Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2017-03-29 01:55 +0100
      Re: how much computers can do in one second Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-29 10:25 +0300
      Re: how much computers can do in one second Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2017-03-29 08:52 +0100
        Re: how much computers can do in one second Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-29 12:43 +0300
          Re: how much computers can do in one second Caecilius <nospam@spamless.invalid> - 2017-03-30 16:07 +0100
            Re: how much computers can do in one second Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-30 19:09 +0300
              Re: how much computers can do in one second Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2017-03-30 21:36 +0000
                Re: how much computers can do in one second Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-31 09:56 +0300
  Re: how much computers can do in one second Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2017-03-27 13:51 +0000
  Re: how much computers can do in one second Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2017-03-28 11:57 +1100
    Re: how much computers can do in one second Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2017-03-28 09:51 +0000
      Re: how much computers can do in one second Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2017-03-28 11:12 +0000

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