A few more Rosetta Code entries to finish the year

[sarossell]

Hi Gang,

I added a few simple entries on Rosetta. The best way to learn is to teach, and I'm starting out with the simple stuff.

• Loops/For
  Loops/For with a specified step
  User input/Text
  Video display modes
  Variables
  Zero to the zero power

I hadn't realized how involved the subject of Variables was. Please feel free to check my work and correct any mistakes.

P.S.: I noticed the Rosetta server was experiencing some intermittent down time tonight. Fingers crossed, maybe that means the admin is working on that image upload problem. Still no word though.

[GeorgeMcGinn]

"Zero to the zero power"?????

Hi Gang,

I added a few simple entries on Rosetta. The best way to learn is to teach, and I'm starting out with the simple stuff.

• Loops/For
  Loops/For with a specified step
  User input/Text
  Video display modes
  Variables
  Zero to the zero power

I hadn't realized how involved the subject of Variables was. Please feel free to check my work and correct any mistakes.

P.S.: I noticed the Rosetta server was experiencing some intermittent down time tonight. Fingers crossed, maybe that means the admin is working on that image upload problem. Still no word though.

[sarossell]

Yeah, apparently some languages choke on that one. Go figure.

[GeorgeMcGinn]

Actually, Math chokes on it as well!

Yeah, apparently some languages choke on that one. Go figure.

[sarossell]

Really? I thought it was defined as equal to 1.

[GeorgeMcGinn]

Nope. It actually becomes a ZERO in formulas, but raising anything by a power of zero is an invalid math expression, and always results in a zero.

George.

Really? I thought it was defined as equal to 1.

[sarossell]

Well, I'm honestly not sure what value it is either way.

[Henko]

Nope. It actually becomes a ZERO in formulas, but raising anything by a power of zero is an invalid math expression, and always results in a zero.

George.

Really? I thought it was defined as equal to 1.

Raising a non-zero value to a power of zero is certainly a valid math expression and equals 1,
Which can be proved by taking logarithms and apply the limit.
Sarossell wins this math contest

[sarossell]

Does it have any use in practical application though? I mean, other than trying to trip up a programming language?

[GeorgeMcGinn]

OK, I'm eating crow...

I had just taken a math refresher course due to my work in cosmology (I do a lot of programming in that field as well as astronomical observations) and the teach said that raising by 0 isn't good math, which I interprested as an invalid expression.

I was told "So when we raise a number to the zeroth power, that means we multiply the number by itself zero times - but that means we're not multiplying anything at all." You can see why I did not question the teacher!

Before my post yesterday I tried doing it in an app called MyScript (an excellent formula app where you can hand write it and it cleans it up for you) and it had issues with it. Today, I got 1. Now I am confused.

And ketchup doesn't help with the taste of crow

But I do have the same question as to what use does raising something to the power of zero have? Because if you multiply X by 0, the answer is always zero.

George.

Does it have any use in practical application though? I mean, other than trying to trip up a programming language?