Xref: utzoo comp.edu:4248 sci.math:17073 sci.misc:4963 Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.math,sci.misc Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: Cosine of Pi/2.0 (was: Subtle Math Questions) Message-ID: <1991Apr26.213544.14212@zoo.toronto.edu> Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1991 21:35:44 GMT References: <2730@ttardis.UUCP> <22614@lanl.gov> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology In article <22614@lanl.gov> jlg@cochiti.lanl.gov (Jim Giles) writes: >This is one of the first tests I make of a calculator: if it gives >zero for cosine of _anything_ that can be represented, it probably >has a bad cosine function. Well, the HP-48 will give you zero for the cosine of pi/2, but that's because it represents it as "pi/2", not 1.5707... -- And the bean-counter replied, | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology "beans are more important". | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry