Significant digits in a float?

[Adam Funk]

On 2014-05-01, Larry Hudson wrote:

> On 05/01/2014 05:56 AM, Roy Smith wrote:

>> For those who have no idea what we're talking about, take a look at
>> http://www.ted.com/talks/clifford_stoll_on_everything.  If you just want
>> to see what you do with a slide rule, fast forward to 14:20, but you
>> really owe it to yourself to invest the 18 minutes to watch the whole
>> thing.
>>
>
> Anyone (besides me) ever seen a cylindrical slide rule?  I have one -- unfortunately misplaced 
> at the moment.  :-(
>
> The scales were helical around a cylinder giving (it was claimed) to be the equivalent of a 
> five-foot rule.  But that still only gave one additional significant digit.  Only two scales, 
> however, which limited its use to multiply/divide and logs.  But interesting.

I have a "circular" (really spiral) slide rule that I inherited from
my grandfather.

http://www.ducksburg.com/atlas_slide_rule/

One of my uncles told me that he took it (or a similar model) to
university (ca. 1960, I guess) & got an F on a calculus test because
his answers were too accurate & precise to be honest.  He went to the
professor's office, showed him the circular slide rule, & got an A.


-- 
To live without killing is a thought which could electrify the world,
if men were only capable of staying awake long enough to let the idea
soak in.                                             --- Henry Miller