Sig-Figs
You may’ve learned significant figures in Chemistry class. But did you know that computer scientists have units for sig-figs? They’re called the uld and ulp
President Fogg clearly doesn’t understand these concepts. In many cases, uld and ulp are the same. But a lot of times, computers can only increment (increase) a given variable by, say, fives, instead of ones, in which case, the ulp will be five times larger than the uld. Also, computers can calculate π to at least 1,000 places; however, MS Calculator will only display the constant up to 32 digits. In this case, the uld is larger than the ulp. I’ll try to clarify this later.
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Comments
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I don't get it. What's an uld?
– President Fogg
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This is a test. Sorry, it’s not an open-notebook test. Now, clear your desktop of everything except this window and your favorite typing utensil. j/k.
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This is a test. Sorry, it’s not an open-notebook test. Now, clear your desktop of everything except this window and your favorite typing utensil. j/k.
7/22/2007 @ 12:05 AM
Minh’s Notes
Sig-Figs
You may’ve learned significant figures in Chemistry class. But did you know that computer scientists have units for sig-figs?