[SystemSafety] De perfidiis calculatorum (pace Oscar Wilde)

[Olwen Morgan]

All,

We tend to take the simpler end of computing for granted. This may be 
unwise. The following table shows the results given by six calculators 
when performing numerical integration with respect to x, from 0.1 to 1, 
of the function sin(2*pi/x):


Canon F789SGA 1.401636757e-1

Casio fx-991ES PLUS 1.401636757e-1

Casio fx-991EX 1.401636757e-1

Hewlett-Packard HP50g 1.401636757e-1 (rounded to ten SF)

Sharp EL-W506 1.390363882e-1  *** WTF?! ***

Sharp EL-W506T             1.390363882e-1        "


Perhaps surprisingly, the Casio fx-991EX, a top-end, school-level, 
non-programmable, non-graphical calculator, was actually faster than the 
HP50g, a top-end, professional-level, programmable, graphical device.


I hope that neither Boeing engineers nor school students are using 
either of the Sharp devices.

Olwen








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