Modern Electronics (was Re: List charter mods & headcount... ;

From: auryn_at_gci-net.com <(auryn_at_gci-net.com)>
Date: Wed Jun 23 18:15:43 2004

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 15:43:42 -0700 (PDT)
 Fred Cisin <cisin_at_xenosoft.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 23 Jun 2004, Tony Duell wrote:
> > > > How many even know the square root of 2 and 3?
> > >
> > > 2.236+ ;-)
> >
> > No, that's the square root of 2+3. The square root of 2
> AND 3 (assuming a
> > normal binary machine) is presumably somewhere close to
> 1.4142 :-)

I think my humor may have been too subtle... it was
intended to reflect the mindset of a *child* -- where
"and" predates "plus" in describing aritmetic operations
(at least on this side of the pond in the distant past :>)

Since the operations we were discussing are those
typically (in the *past*!) taught to *children* :>

(and why is it that we magically ignore the *other*
square root in each example cited? :-(

> sorry for the typo.

<grin> No, I was busting balls... :>

> I intended to say:
> How many even know the square roots of 2 and 3?
> (square root of (2), square root of (3) )
>
> But, even GIVEN the square rootS of 2 and of 3,
> how many students could tell you the square root of 6?

Or, *why*!
--don
Received on Wed Jun 23 2004 - 18:15:43 BST