h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You add a different number to each to get the next. The place you get the number to add is the set of positive whole numbers that *aren't* part of the sequence.

How would you write that down as a function? I know how I'd do that in code, but it's a pritty complex pice and not at all realy mathamatical

-- DoctorMO --

As a function? No idea. I just did it with a bit of paper. What do you mean, not mathmatical?

well normaly to get a series you have to beable to produce all the required numbers internaly of the function, so

x + y
y + 1

is...

0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 15 ect...

this is a standard numerical series, yours is er... not, because it requires alot of background leg work (that I may say is provided by your brain for free) and you realy can't write it down as the function above with out storing which numbers have been used into some kind of array and using that to infer whats next to be added....

-- DoctorMO --

Yessss.... an algorithm, not a function. Occurs to me that that's the difference, a function is all self-contained.

hmm, so er... could your write that out as either? I supose I can If you want me too...


btw, I'm treating algerithem and function in the same light here, I souldn't, but er... there you go.

-- DoctorMO --

No idea. Really can't see it as a function though.

well it's kind of important, you see thats a nurological trick numerical question, it's not realy about the maths, it's about the trick.

-- DoctorMO --

well it's kind of important, you see thats a nurological trick numerical question, it's not realy about the maths, it's about the trick.

-- DoctorMO --

Suppose you're right. It's just supposed to be fun, though.

I'm sorry.



-- DoctorMO --

Don't be

too logical for my own good, *sigh*

-- DoctorMO --

too disconnected for my own good, *ditto sigh*

so what kind of weather have *you* been having? We got several days of beautiful, sunshiney skies, then with no warning a few inches of rain(Monday) then (Tuesday mostly) two feet of snow. That's a literal two feet, not an exaggerated two feet, and I've heard in some areas it's four. And drifts up to my shoulder. School's off of course.

Did I say four feet? I meant seven. Now that I've got a decent source. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WEATHER/03/20/snowstorm.ap/index.html

heh, what weather tho boasts, for it is snow, I envy your cold for it is too warm were I live.

-- DoctorMO --

oh, now it's nice and warm again, fifty degrees, you'd hardly know anything had happened except for the huge piles of snow everywhere. was like that yesterday too.

but still, the incident has made me revise my opinion that snow is the embodiment of All Things Evil as the canceling of school means i have extra time to work on a rather large project that would have been due.

eleven feet in jefferson county, did i mention? although they may have been talking about drifts.

hmm, there is never that amount of snow here, darn it.

-- DoctorMO --

nor here, usually. we usually get this amount of precip *spread out* over the entire fall, winter and spring, partly as rain.

so it's odd partip' rather than normal?

-- DoctorMO --