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https://www.everythinglubbock.com/n...blindly-trust-calculators-even-when-they-lie/
Grad student studies people’s blind belief in a calculators accuracy.
Grad student studies people’s blind belief in a calculators accuracy.
Bystander said:Remember the 487 co-processor?
I don't remember the name of it (and am assuming it was the 487 coprocessor), but there was a math FP coprocessor a couple of decades ago that was found to have significant flaws and had make some impactful business calculations incorrectly before it was discovered.Borek said:I remember Pentium FDIV error, was there something similar for 487?
My memory may be failing, but that's what I recall...it came out about the same time as "7th Guest," and that's all the computer was good for was playing "7th Guest," couldn't do anything numerical.Borek said:something similar for 487?
The 80486 processor of that generation came out in two main models: 80486SX (simplex) and 80486DX (duplex). Both chips were identical in the sense that both had floating point units, but the SX variant had the connections to the FPU severed. The DX variant had a working FPU. For the SX models, you could add an i487 chip, which contained a full implementation of 80486DX functionality.Vanadium 50 said:There was no 80487 coprocessor. (There was a chip with that name, which is a more interesting story)
Yes, and not with the previous generations. I wrote a short assembly program that could be used to determine if the Pentium processor it was run on was one of the faulty ones. My program and an explanation of how it worked was published in Jeff Duntemann's PC Techniques magazine back in Feb/Mar of '95.Vanadium 50 said:The problem was in the P5 and P54 Pentium processors.
Maybe it's because they are looking at trigonometry from the wrong angle.jedishrfu said:One of the best student mistakes on the calculator is when radians are confused with degrees ie they don’t know which mode the calculator is set to.
Maths mode is bestjedishrfu said:One of the best student mistakes on the calculator is when radians are confused with degrees ie they don’t know which mode the calculator is set to.
You really think I'd trust a robot to tell me about lying calculators? How do I know a calculator doesn't owe you money or something?jedishrfu said:https://www.everythinglubbock.com/n...blindly-trust-calculators-even-when-they-lie/
Grad student studies people’s blind belief in a calculators accuracy.
When MS/Excel does it, it's just a feature:Vanadium 50 said:Intel did not handle this at all well. First they tried to explain that a wrong answer now and again didn't matter.
For many years, I found it very annoying to have to ever use any calculator that didn't use RPN. Now I doubt I could even remember how to do it. I think it's pretty much disappeared from common usage.DennisN said:
Hey, I passed the Turing test and got accepted to grad school. So there always with the negative vibes (Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes).russ_watters said:You really think I'd trust a robot to tell me about lying calculators? How do I know a calculator doesn't owe you money or something?
They made a retro tribute to one of the HP calculators a few years ago. The guts are modern but the UI is the same classic design.DennisN said:HP and RPN, I love it! I've got an old HP-27 in a drawer somewhere at home. And I love the design:
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Same here . I got the HP-27 from my father when I was in my teens, and he taught me how to use RPN. He had been using the HP before me. And I very well remember I used it in high school for math, technology and science classes. I was the only one in my class that had a HP that could do RPN, everybody else used Casio or Texas Instruments calculators which used parentheses for formulas.phinds said:For many years, I found it very annoying to have to ever use any calculator that didn't use RPN.
Cool, I didn't know about that one! You posted about it three minutes ago, and now I will download it immediately.berkeman said:And there is Free42, which I use almost every day on my phone at work...
I've got Free42 and thus HP style RPN on my phone now and there are almost tears of joy in my eyes .berkeman said:And there is Free42, which I use almost every day on my phone at work...
Borek said:There is an Android app RealCalc that can work both in RPN and standard calculator mode.
berkeman said:And there is Free42, which I use almost every day on my phone at work...
https://thomasokken.com/free42/
DennisN said:
jedishrfu said:They made a retro tribute to one of the HP calculators a few years ago. The guts are modern but the UI is the same classic design.
https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-35s-scientific-calculator-p-f2215aa-aba--1
Note that Free42 presents you with different calculators in portrait and landscape modes.DennisN said:If Free42 would have supported skins (user customizable design) I would have customized it into a 1970s vintage look .
Borek said:There is an Android app RealCalc that can work both in RPN and standard calculator mode.
When we say "calculators lie", we are referring to the potential for errors or inaccuracies in the calculations performed by calculators. This can be caused by a variety of factors, such as faulty programming, user error, or hardware malfunctions.
The frequency of calculator errors varies depending on the type and quality of the calculator. While most modern calculators have built-in safeguards to minimize errors, they are not infallible and can still produce incorrect results in certain situations. Additionally, user error can also contribute to the frequency of calculator errors.
The consequences of relying on inaccurate calculations can range from minor inconveniences to more serious financial or safety implications. In academic or professional settings, relying on incorrect calculations can lead to incorrect data analysis or incorrect conclusions. In everyday life, relying on inaccurate calculations can result in incorrect budgeting or inaccurate measurements.
To detect and prevent calculator errors, it is important to double-check calculations and use multiple sources for verification. Additionally, regularly updating and maintaining calculators, as well as using reputable and reliable brands, can also help minimize the risk of errors. In cases where high accuracy is crucial, using manual calculations or consulting with a human expert may also be necessary.
In most countries, there are no specific regulations or standards for calculator accuracy. However, some industries, such as finance and engineering, may have their own standards for the accuracy of calculations. Additionally, reputable calculator manufacturers often have their products tested and certified by independent organizations to ensure their accuracy meets certain standards.