Ask Uncle Colin: a fractional power
Dear Uncle Colin,
How would you work out
in your head? - Probability Estimation Needed, Relic Of Slide-rule Era
Hi, PENROSE, and thanks for your message!
That’s really two questions: how I would do it, and how the Mathematical Ninja would do it.
Me
Me, I’d probably use the fact that
The Mathematical Ninja
“Ha! I don’t believe I have to tell you this, but five is not large.”
“Depends on what you compare it with, sensei.”
“You can do much better by saying
“Why is that?”
A sigh. “
“… and the ninth?”
“That’s not a ninth. That’s a ninth. Oh, er… yes, if you solve
“OK, so I buy that
“Then the logarithm of the thing we want is roughly
“I suppose you happen to know what that is?”
“Well,
“0.1073, says the calculator I’m totally not looking at right now.”
Hope that helps!
- Uncle Colin (and The Mathematical Ninja)