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#1 2006-10-05 16:33:55

cray
Member
Registered: 2006-10-05
Posts: 29

Im not a mathematician, ... however!

I'm not a mathematician, however I love doing little mathematical and logic puzzles -
I read the whole of a book called "fermats last theorem" and that really got me into trying harder with numbers.
What caught my attention here is the puzzle

1/3 = .333...
2/3 = .666...
3/3 = .999...

how can that be?   1=1   and   1=.999  !!!
Anyway if I can just find that thread again I would be happy

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#2 2006-10-05 16:52:35

MathsIsFun
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Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Hi cray and Welcome,

Was it in this thread? http://www.mathsisfun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=337

Your name (Cray) is a supercomputer! But I believe the IBM Blue Gene/L is currently ahead of the Crays.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#3 2006-10-05 18:22:14

Devantè
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Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Can I call you crayon? smile

Oh, and welcome to MathsIsFun - Check out the Euler's Avenue section. smile

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#4 2006-10-05 23:22:02

cray
Member
Registered: 2006-10-05
Posts: 29

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

too observant mathsisfun
exactly right - the cray supercomputer - thats why I chose the name for this forum
most of the posts here look like everyone got a supercomputer for a brain when they do maths.

ER .. does this make me sound old or what ??????  but I actually used to work on
IBM mainframes as an operator  (back so long ago I dont want to remember when) I dont know if you know about these things but you sound like you have a similar background
they were IBM 370/158's  and 370/159's 
Oh dear I'm old enough to know better than try and join in with some of the geniuses I have seen posting here.

Last edited by cray (2006-10-05 23:22:53)

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#5 2006-10-06 00:55:05

MathsIsFun
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Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Wow! Did you know JCL? I remember hearing "if you want to program in JCL, find something already written and copy it"

Oh, and all views are welcome, no elitism here, you just have to put up with counter-arguments!


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#6 2006-10-06 07:25:23

espeon
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Registered: 2006-02-05
Posts: 2,586

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

hmm 3/3=.999 doesnt really make sense otherwise you round things.


Presenting the Prinny dance.
Take this dood! Huh doood!!! HUH DOOOOD!?!? DOOD HUH!!!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#7 2006-10-06 07:43:33

Devantè
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Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

MathsIsFun wrote:

Wow! Did you know JCL? I remember hearing "if you want to program in JCL, find something already written and copy it"

Oh, and all views are welcome, no elitism here, you just have to put up with counter-arguments!

I have gotten used to counter-arguments. smile

But the law of numbers has cracks in it.

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#8 2006-10-06 21:39:33

espeon
Real Member
Registered: 2006-02-05
Posts: 2,586

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

hmmmmmmmm yu can divide 10 by 3 which is 3.333 continued but if you multiply by 3 its 9.999 continued so that doesnt make sense lol


Presenting the Prinny dance.
Take this dood! Huh doood!!! HUH DOOOOD!?!? DOOD HUH!!!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#9 2006-10-06 21:51:24

Devantè
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Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Last edited by Devanté (2006-10-06 21:52:17)

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#10 2006-10-06 22:11:16

espeon
Real Member
Registered: 2006-02-05
Posts: 2,586

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

hmm i didnt put a .. behind my last 3 or 9


Presenting the Prinny dance.
Take this dood! Huh doood!!! HUH DOOOOD!?!? DOOD HUH!!!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#11 2006-10-06 22:38:58

Devantè
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Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Last edited by Devanté (2006-10-06 22:40:22)

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#12 2006-10-07 23:07:15

espeon
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Registered: 2006-02-05
Posts: 2,586

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

yh but you dont have to


Presenting the Prinny dance.
Take this dood! Huh doood!!! HUH DOOOOD!?!? DOOD HUH!!!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#13 2006-10-07 23:23:06

Devantè
Real Member
Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Actually, you do. It is the standard notation of jotting down recurring numbers. Hey, I have an idea. I could get you sheets and sheets of newspaper, and you can write 0.99999999999... until you reach an end. tongue

That's why we have that special notation. wink

Last edited by Devanté (2006-10-07 23:25:27)

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#14 2006-10-08 00:02:38

espeon
Real Member
Registered: 2006-02-05
Posts: 2,586

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

i wrote 3.333 and 9.99 contineud.


Presenting the Prinny dance.
Take this dood! Huh doood!!! HUH DOOOOD!?!? DOOD HUH!!!!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#15 2006-10-09 03:28:41

cray
Member
Registered: 2006-10-05
Posts: 29

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Wow! Did you know JCL? I remember hearing "if you want to program in JCL, find something already written and copy it"

Ha ha ha !    I like the JCL comment - Only the other day I was remembering what a hassle JCL was when all the batch jobs had to be rescheduled because of JCL errors etc. Also I started at the age of 16 and they used to make me type up a lot of the JCL cards, (and they wonder why ever since then I've had a bored expression on my face!)  Dont remember a single thing about JCL in detail.

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#16 2006-10-09 03:29:56

Devantè
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Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

This it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_Control_Language

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#17 2006-10-09 04:36:50

cray
Member
Registered: 2006-10-05
Posts: 29

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

I havent visited there yet but, yes it certainly looks like it from the URL, wow this is going to be a trip down memory lane !
Ha ha ha - thanks !

Edited in later

Oh yes that was the one, but I must say I didnt remember much about it, considering I must have typed up many thousands (perhaps 10's of thousands) of those cards while I was a mainframe operator. Ah the good old bad old days of computing when Microsoft was only a nightmare and not a recurring reality.

Last edited by cray (2006-10-09 04:48:02)

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#18 2006-12-07 20:48:19

soha
Real Member
Registered: 2006-07-07
Posts: 2,530

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

welcome


"Let us realize that: the privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success!" smile smile
- David O. McKay

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#19 2006-12-08 20:28:49

Devantè
Real Member
Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

I've certainly got to learn this JCL.

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#20 2006-12-08 22:43:15

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Devanté wrote:

I've certainly got to learn this JCL.

Don't hurt your brain!

From the Wikipedia article, here is how to copy one file to another (get one bit wrong, and it won't work):

//IS198CPY JOB (IS198T30500),'COPY JOB',CLASS=L,MSGCLASS=X
//COPY01   EXEC PGM=IEBGENER
//SYSPRINT DD  SYSOUT=*
//SYSUT1   DD  DSN=IS198.TEST.INPUT,DISP=SHR
//SYSUT2   DD  DSN=IS198.TEST.OUTPUT,
//           DISP=(NEW,CATLG,DELETE),
//           SPACE=(CYL,(40,5),RLSE),
//           DCB=(LRECL=115,BLKSIZE=0),
//           DATACLAS=SEQFB
//SYSIN    DD  DUMMY


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#21 2006-12-08 23:20:32

Devantè
Real Member
Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 6,400

Re: Im not a mathematician, ... however!

Hmm...looks difficult, but at least it seems logical. smile

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