Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: neilep on 14/07/2009 10:17:40
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How does WOLFRAMALPHA (http://www09.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1237561230928349267509287274524+*8273482976408273520984094878273628765) work these kind of maths calculations so quickly ? Click on 'NUMBER NAME' too.
but I also want to know exactly Where is the calculation being calculated ?..is it on a computer in a building at Wolframaplha HQ ?
..if so...anyone know how powerful this computer must be ? I imagine it must be dealing with many calculations 24/7 !
do ewe know ?
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Its a little bloke in the back of a Beijing laundry with an abacus.
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Wolfram's Mathematica is pretty damn smart and that all works on your home computer. It seems to know all the Maths you could ever possibly need unless you were a real real egghead researching type who has to invent their own Maths anyway.
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Its a little bloke in the back of a Beijing laundry with an abacus.
well...I'm convinced !
thanks Don..ewe are the best !!
Is he called Omigod Idomaths ?
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Wolfram's Mathematica is pretty damn smart and that all works on your home computer. It seems to know all the Maths you could ever possibly need unless you were a real real egghead researching type who has to invent their own Maths anyway.
Thanks Sophe..I was beginning to wonder if it was all done right here in my lil ole pc.
gosh..it is klevur !....but where does it get the nomenclaturial names of the large numbers from ?
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nomenclaturial names of the large numbers
Have they changed in the last 20 years?
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nomenclaturial names of the large numbers
Have they changed in the last 20 years?
What I mean is...if it does do the calculations on my computer..then where does it reference the solution to ?..to enable it to display the nomenclature ! ?
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I'm not sure what your problem is, neilep. Is it that you can't think how a 32 or 64 bit machine could do calculations with that many sig figs?
Well, if you had to multiply 29475 by 48374, you could do it using long multiplication (like in School but using quite a lot of paper). Although the answer would contain eleven sig figs, you would only need to use two sig figs for each step in your calculation.
So it's quite possible to write a routine to do arithmetic to any number of sig figs you like, using only 32 bit integers.
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I'm not sure what your problem is, neilep. Is it that you can't think how a 32 or 64 bit machine could do calculations with that many sig figs?
Well, if you had to multiply 29475 by 48374, you could do it using long multiplication (like in School but using quite a lot of paper). Although the answer would contain eleven sig figs, you would only need to use two sig figs for each step in your calculation.
So it's quite possible to write a routine to do arithmetic to any number of sig figs you like, using only 32 bit integers.
Thank ewe sophiecentaur for your sage guidance.
It seems I have not adequateley explained myself...This is my fault for not explaining it right !
let me try again ....
My PC has calculated a very big number yes ?.....where does the TEXT come from that translates the numerical version of the number in to the text ?..ie: if the result was "1"...where is the source that then translates that "1" to the word "ONE"...
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Where is the text sourced from to provide the words........ "10 unvigintillion, 238 vigintillion, 941 novemdecillion, 776 octodecillion, 348 septendecillion, 565 sexdecillion, 821 quindecillion, 704 quattuordecillion, 685 tredecillion, 879 duodecillion, 809 undecillion, 786 decillion, 902 nonillion, 66 octillion, 865 septillion, 242 sextillion, 326 quintillion, 869 quadrillion, 191 trillion, 30 billion, 218 million, 82 thousand and 860" kept [?]
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Oh, I getya now.
It would not be difficult to parse a long decimal number, looking at the digits, in groups of three, or whatever..
Say you want to 'speak' the number 12,345,678
1. Look at the least significant digit - "eight"
2. Look at the next one - "seventy"
or - sort out the teens if the tens digit is 1
3. Look at the next one - "six hundred and"
4. Look at the next three, do steps 1,2,&3 on them to get "three hundred and forty five"
5. Add the word "thousand"
6 Look at the next group of three, to get "twelve"
7 Add the word "million"
Then bolt all the strings of words together to get "Twelve million, three hundred and forty five thousand,six hundred and seven"
As long as you know what billions zillions and ferzillions stand for, you can go on as long as there are digits to decode. The program only has to have a list of what each set of three extra significant digits mean.
Easy peasy, compared with expressing decimals as Roman numerals.
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Quality...
THANK YOU Sir....now I understand !
YAYYYYYYYYYYYY !!
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That's a big X IV then?
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it even has an answer for a # divided by 0
http://www09.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=20%2F0