Random thought thread
- Thread starter arcturus88
- Start date
Whilst going past a weird/unusual rock/mountain formation in the Rocky Mountains, I realize that it has been there & literally the same very long before I was born, and will still be there & literally the same very long after I'm long gone, effectively meaning my life was meaningless. :cry:
I just thought about the time my wife was pregnant (approx. 38 years ago) when we went to a laser light show at the John Young Planetarium in Orlando, featuring quite LOUD Pink Floyd music, and our (1st) son, a few months before birth was kicking up a storm to the music! 
I was thinking about Reverse Polish Notation:
In reverse Polish notation, the operators follow their operands; for instance, to add 3 and 4, one would write 3 4 + rather than 3 + 4. If there are multiple operations, operators are given immediately after their second operands; so the expression written 3 − 4 + 5 in conventional notation would be written 3 4 − 5 + in reverse Polish notation: 4 is first subtracted from 3, then 5 is added to it. An advantage of reverse Polish notation is that it removes the need for parentheses that are required by infix notation. While 3 − 4 × 5 can also be written 3 − (4 × 5), that means something quite different from (3 − 4) × 5. In reverse Polish notation, the former could be written 3 4 5 × −, which unambiguously means 3 (4 5 ×) − which reduces to 3 20 −; the latter could be written 3 4 − 5 × (or 5 3 4 − ×, if keeping similar formatting), which unambiguously means (3 4 −) 5 ×.
In comparison testing of reverse Polish notation with algebraic notation, reverse Polish has been found to lead to faster calculations, for two reasons. Because reverse Polish calculators do not need expressions to be parenthesized, fewer operations need to be entered to perform typical calculations. Additionally, users of reverse Polish calculators made fewer mistakes than for other types of calculator. Later research clarified that the increased speed from reverse Polish notation may be attributed to the smaller number of keystrokes needed to enter this notation, rather than to a smaller cognitive load on its users. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that reverse Polish notation is more difficult for users to learn than algebraic notation.
In reverse Polish notation, the operators follow their operands; for instance, to add 3 and 4, one would write 3 4 + rather than 3 + 4. If there are multiple operations, operators are given immediately after their second operands; so the expression written 3 − 4 + 5 in conventional notation would be written 3 4 − 5 + in reverse Polish notation: 4 is first subtracted from 3, then 5 is added to it. An advantage of reverse Polish notation is that it removes the need for parentheses that are required by infix notation. While 3 − 4 × 5 can also be written 3 − (4 × 5), that means something quite different from (3 − 4) × 5. In reverse Polish notation, the former could be written 3 4 5 × −, which unambiguously means 3 (4 5 ×) − which reduces to 3 20 −; the latter could be written 3 4 − 5 × (or 5 3 4 − ×, if keeping similar formatting), which unambiguously means (3 4 −) 5 ×.
In comparison testing of reverse Polish notation with algebraic notation, reverse Polish has been found to lead to faster calculations, for two reasons. Because reverse Polish calculators do not need expressions to be parenthesized, fewer operations need to be entered to perform typical calculations. Additionally, users of reverse Polish calculators made fewer mistakes than for other types of calculator. Later research clarified that the increased speed from reverse Polish notation may be attributed to the smaller number of keystrokes needed to enter this notation, rather than to a smaller cognitive load on its users. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that reverse Polish notation is more difficult for users to learn than algebraic notation.
Last edited:
It seems like when one is READY TO DIE, one should simply be able to "flip a switch", and it happens instantly. No muss, no fuss.
Note: I am nowhere near that point! I am reminded about said situation with the wonderful 1st Lady Barbara Bush situation.
Note: I am nowhere near that point! I am reminded about said situation with the wonderful 1st Lady Barbara Bush situation.
Theres 42 lurkers out there watching but not posting.
That's amazing.
If you substitute "spying" for "watching" in your remark, you will know why it is no longer amazing.
At the time of my posting, this thread has been viewed or spied 14,786 times. Hence there should be at least 14,700 lurkers or spies out there. You should try hard to persuade and encourage them posting.
Last edited:
Ummm..... what in the blue blazes for?
It looks like you are peeping hard at something that your eyes almost pop out like those of a goldfish. :giggle:
Last edited:
today is a very special day.
it is 8/8/2018, or otherwise known as arcturus88 day.
feel free to use this thread to pay homage to me and how my poignant threads and posts have positively influenced your life.
it is 8/8/2018, or otherwise known as arcturus88 day.
feel free to use this thread to pay homage to me and how my poignant threads and posts have positively influenced your life.
It is all about their search engine finding the site. How it looks is irrelevant I'm afraid.
Similar threads
