[Ti] interesting calculator behavior!?

Phill Tran my_junk at sbcglobal.net
Tue Aug 26 16:24:15 PDT 2003


Or you could tell them to read 1984 by George Orwell. I believe those 
buttons may also have been alluding to this book.

.phill tran



On Tuesday, August 26, 2003, at 12:13  PM, Romain Kang wrote:

> On the subject of computer representation of numbers, I remember
> seeing buttons at computer flea markets that said
>  2 + 2 = 5
>  for large
> values of 2
>
> This is easy to show if your calculator is limited to external
> display of integer values but can carry additional internal precision.
> If the internal value is 2.375, the most accurate external display
> is "2".  If you add "2" + "2", you get 4.75 internally, or "5"
> externally.
>
> You can use this fact to nail ignorant pedants who rhetorically
> ask, "Doesn't 2 + 2 equal 4?"
>
> Romain Kang                             Disclaimer: I speak for myself 
> alone,
> romain at kzsu.stanford.edu                except when indicated 
> otherwise.
>
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