Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site mimir.dmt.oz
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!munnari!mimir!mvr
From: mvr@mimir.dmt.oz (Vaughan Roberts)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: The Perils of Nutrasweet: digits of precision
Message-ID: <377@mimir.dmt.oz>
Date: Tue, 27-Aug-85 19:01:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimir.377
Posted: Tue Aug 27 19:01:12 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Aug-85 20:57:43 EDT
References: <771@burl.UUCP> <394@petrus.UUCP> <182@steinmetz.UUCP>
Reply-To: mvr@mimir.UUCP (Vaughan Roberts)
Organization: CSIRO Manufacturing Technology, Melbourne
Lines: 22

s ie
	1) A table 3.5 meters by 4.5 meters we get an answer 15.75 m^2 or
to 1 digit 2 * 10^1 m^2.
	2) A table 2.5 meters by 3.5 meters gives 8.75 m^2 or 1 * 10^1 m^2.
The real answer is to do a full error analysis which requires the
uncertainty of the initial measurements to be stated. Without that it is
just pointless hot air to talk of "correct" answers as above.

-- 
Vaughan Roberts, CSIRO Div of ManTech, Melbourne, Australia.

ACSNET:	mvr@mimir.dmt.oz		Ph: +61 (03)418-0260
UUCP:	{decvax,pesnta,vax135}!mulga!mimir.dmt!mvr
ARPA:	mvr%mimir.dmt.oz@seismo.arpa