Im not a mathematician, ... however!

cray · 2006-10-05 16:33:55

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

MathsIsFun · 2006-10-05 16:52:35

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.

Devantè · 2006-10-05 18:22:14

Can I call you crayon?

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

cray · 2006-10-05 23:22:02

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)

MathsIsFun · 2006-10-06 00:55:05

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!

espeon · 2006-10-06 07:25:23

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

Devantè · 2006-10-06 07:43:33

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.

But the law of numbers has cracks in it.

espeon · 2006-10-06 21:39:33

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

Devantè · 2006-10-06 21:51:24

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

espeon · 2006-10-06 22:11:16

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

Devantè · 2006-10-06 22:38:58

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

espeon · 2006-10-07 23:07:15

yh but you dont have to

Devantè · 2006-10-07 23:23:06

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.

That's why we have that special notation.

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

espeon · 2006-10-08 00:02:38

i wrote 3.333 and 9.99 contineud.

cray · 2006-10-09 03:28:41

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.

Devantè · 2006-10-09 03:29:56

This it?

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

cray · 2006-10-09 04:36:50

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)

soha · 2006-12-07 20:48:19

welcome

Devantè · 2006-12-08 20:28:49

I've certainly got to learn this JCL.

MathsIsFun · 2006-12-08 22:43:15

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

Devantè · 2006-12-08 23:20:32

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

Math Is Fun Forum

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

Im not a mathematician, ... however!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Board footer