understanding probability[was Re: war story: parallel(1) command]

[Zbigniew Koziol]

On 03/08/13 21:03, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
[...]

In general, people do not have an idea and imagination how to deal with 
huge numbers. Bad physics teaching, I guess ;) (*)

Once a young engineer worked with me (in Canada). He desined a database 
system that kept data from GPS related to vehicles mooving accross 
USA/Canada roads with an accuracy to... 1 picometer. Well.. but accuracy 
of GPS was of the order of 10 m. Good that he was so careful about 
accuracy but bad for database performance.

How many atoms are in the Universe?

10^78 to 10^82

How that compares with 2^528 ?

(*) Physics is not and never was about numbers. It is about 
understanding what is and what is not practically possible. With some 
probability, of course ;) I am not a specialist on law excercised at 
courts. But in case of doubt they are likely to ask an opinion of a 
specialist.

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