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Just because you don't understand how a calculator works, doesn't make it any less precise than a slide rule. Understanding how your tools work is key for an en
by wildzzz 4y ago
Just because you don't understand how a calculator works, doesn't make it any less precise than a slide rule. Understanding how your tools work is key for an engineer. That's why we go to school and learn how to do all of these equations by hand only to graduate to using computers to solve them later on. I know how to solve a circuit diagram but would it really be appropriate for me to spend days working the formulas when pspice can spit out an accurate answer in seconds? No, but only if I understand and can accept the limitations of the simulation. I may have to go back and adjust variables to get a worst case analysis so I can add margin to my result that can be passed to the next engineer in the chain. Simulation is just one step in the engineering process. Without knowing the variability of the inputs of the design, you won't get answers that closely match the real world measurements. Being able to simulate something as accurately as possible allows me to iterate a design in a very short amount of time that gives me a much greater understanding of the problem than if I did it all on paper. I can definitely understand that AI kind of fuzzes the simulation math such that it may produce something that isn't reproducible and that's a tough sell. But for the most part, simulations use a massive amount of math that is based on real world formulas that I'd be using anyway to solve the problem by hand.
- benreesman 4y agoI think Walter Bright knows how a calculator works in extreme detail. You do realize who that is right?
- WalterBright 4y agoI've actually implemented IEEE 754 floating point code, from scratch. https://github.com/DigitalMars/dmc/blob/master/src/CORE16/DOUBLE.ASM https://github.com/DigitalMars/dmc/blob/master/src/CORE16/DO... Also, many of the math library functions, though I used "Software Manual for the Elementary Functions" by Cody&Waite for a guide.
- benreesman 4y agoI got started in software late enough that by the time I had a machine that could compile C++ it was Visual Studio and shortly `gcc`, so I missed the first round of your groundbreaking C++ compiler work, but as recently as 2018 I was building all my C++ passed through your excellent Warp preprocessor (which absolutely smoked its predecessor). I imagine you know as much about IEEE 754 as anyone living. Thanks for the all the great software!
- WalterBright 4y agoThanks for the kind words! I'm glad Warp is working for you.
- operator-name 4y agoDigital calculators don't model uncertainty in the same way that mechanical ones do. I would love a calculator that intuitively does tolerance proposition. The point here isn't a out precision, its about accuracy. Most simulations consider tolerances and variability as an afterthought, and as you point ouf spitting out a seemingly precise but likely innacurate output. Really we should have the best of both worlds - simulations should model uncertainty or use MTCS, and output a probability range.