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MorlockP's profile
ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs
ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs
ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs
@MorlockP

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ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs

@MorlockP

Two-time Prometheus award-winning hard science fiction author. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JPPMS6  Learn how to homestead https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093BC3K1T 

Aristillus Crater, Luna
amazon.com/dp/B005JPPMS6
Joined June 2012

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    1. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 25 Dec 2019

      My wife @LibertyFarmNH gives the absolute best most amazing Christmas presents. This year was a bounty of nerdiness that would make weeaboo Smaug blush, but this one item was the piece we resistance!pic.twitter.com/pDelHcDxtU

      21 replies 1 retweet 95 likes
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    2. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      2/ OK, I've been playing with the Curta calculator, and it seems insanely complex, but it's pretty simple. A thread.

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    3. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      3/ There is one input: a bunch of linear sliders that allow you to input a 9 digit number. Far right slider is the 1's column, next to it is the 10's column, etc. There are two outputs on top of the calculator: accumulator, and operation counter.

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    4. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      4/ The calculator only does two operations: addition and subtraction. However, by repeating these operations, you can perform multiplication and subtraction. Let's add 9 + 12.

      2 replies 0 retweets 6 likes
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    5. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      5/ First, reset the outputs to zero. Grab the upper knurled ring, pull it upwards by 1/4" inch, hold it there, and rotate the second handle (the one that looks like a grenade pull ring) 360° clockwise.pic.twitter.com/GdJUf1Xr2C

      1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
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    6. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      6/ Looking down at the calculator from above, the numbers in black, the accumulator, are set to zero, and the numbers in white, the operation counter, is also set to zero.pic.twitter.com/1frELnXtDq

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    7. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      7/ Adjust the sliders to specify the first input. Right most slider to 9. Now turn the pepper grinder handle 360° clockwise. The black accumulator field now reads 9. The white operation counter field now reads 1.

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    8. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      8/ Now adjust the sliders to specify the second number, 12. Rotate the operating handle again. The black accumulator field now holds 21 (9 + 12). The white operation counter field now holds 2. You can guess how to add a third number!

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    9. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      9/ But just to spell it out: adjust the sliders, rotate the crank. If we leave the sliders at 9 and add it again, the output now reads 30, and operation count is 3. Let's say that we didn't MEAN to add that last 9. We want to subtract it away.

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      ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

      10/ Pull the operating handle UP, revealing a white ring around its base, and rotate it 360°. The accumulator subtracts out the last 9, and the operation counter is decremented by 1. This is 95% of all there is to know!

      7:15 AM - 26 Dec 2019
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        2. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          11/ The key thing is that the operations counter counts acts of ADDITION. So subtracting removes one from the op counter. OK, a little odd, but it is what it is.

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        3. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          12/ Now, a small complication. Let's say that I want to multiple 123 by 2. This is easy. 123 x 2 = 123 + 123. I clear the outputs, set the sliders, crank it once, crank it twice. But what if I want to calculate 123 x 20?

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        4. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          13/ Clear the outputs, set the sliders, crank it once, crank again, crank it again ... crank if ... 20 times? That kind of sucks. And what if I want to add 123 ... say, 900 times? I've got to crank this 900 times?

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        5. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          14/ No, it turns out that there's a shortcut ! Remember that upper knurled ring, that we pulled up as part of the two step process to clear the outputs? Well, it has a SECOND function. When you pull it up you can ROTATE IT before you drop it back down again.

          1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
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        6. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          15/ It has 9 or so different settings. In the first / default / base setting, each turn of the crank adds the input to the accumulator 1 time. In the second setting, each turn of the crank adds the input to the accumulator 10^1 (=10) times.

          1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
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        7. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          16/ In the third setting, each turn of the crank adds the input to the accumulator 10^2 (= 100) times. And so forth.

          1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
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        8. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          17/ Notice that I do not say "adds 10x the input", but "adds the input 10 times". What's the difference? The operation counter. If I set sliders to 9 and turn the order-of-magnitude-ring to 3 (i.e. x 100), and then crank once, the operations counter now registers 100, not 1.

          1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
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        9. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          18/ The operations counter so far is an interesting curiousity, but we're going to use it when we do division. But before we do division we need to talk about subtraction. ...and I'll get to that later.

          2 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
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        10. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs Retweeted

          19/ EXCELLENT QUESTION ! Yes, there are a few reasons you might want to adjust the operations count. It turns out that there's a 2 position slider on the side for "regular op count increment" vs "REVERSED op count increment" ! https://twitter.com/DunsScottus/status/1210220268003741697 …

          ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs added,

          This Tweet is unavailable.
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        11. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          20/ I intentionally only read half of the instruction manual because I wanted to figure out the advanced stuff on my own, as a puzzle. Hopping ahead, the way division works is to push the dividend into the accumulator, then start subtracting out the divisor. e.g. 17 / 4

          1 reply 0 retweets 7 likes
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        12. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          21/ So we clear the output, set 17 on the slider, crank it in, now the accumulator shows 17 and the opcount shows 1. We can clear the opcount by setting sliders to 0 and then pulling the stem to subtract and cranking once. Accumulator stays at 17, opcount is now 0 again.

          1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
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        13. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          21/ OK, we're ready to go. Set the sliders to 4, slide the opcount reversing switch to "reverse" (so now we count subtractions as operations and additions as negative operations). Crank. Accumulator 13, opcount 1. Crank. Acc 9, op 2. Crank. Acc 5, op 3. Crank. Acc 1, op 4.

          1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
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        14. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          22/ 17 / 4 = 4 (the opcount) remainder 1 (the accumulator).

          1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
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        15. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          23/ Let's divide 100 / 3. Clear the accumulator and opcount. Crank in 100. Pull handle to subtract, adjust slides, subtract out 0. Acc = 100, op = 0. Set sliders to 3. So...we're going to have to crank this 33 times, right? No. Remember the order-of-magnitude ring.

          1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
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        16. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          24/ First, adjust the opcount direction to reverse. Adjust the order-of-magnitude ring from 1 to 2 (so each crank is 10 ^ (2-1) = 10 operations). Crank. Accumulator = 70, op = 10 Crank. Acc = 40, op = 20 Crank. Acc = 10, op = 30 Adjust ring to 1 (10^(1-1) = 1)

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        17. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          25/ Crank. Acc = 7, op = 31 Crank. Acc = 4, op = 32 Crank. Acc = 1, op = 33 100 / 3 = 33 remainder 1.

          1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
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        18. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          26/ What happens if we weren't paying close attention and cranked one time too many? small brain: we've got the wrong answer medium brain: ...but we can fix it! Push the crank back to addition mode. Crank once We UNDO the extra subtraction, i.e. we UNDO both acc AND opcount

          1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
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        19. ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs‏ @MorlockP 26 Dec 2019

          27/ galaxy brain: but what EXACTLY happened when we subtracted 3 from 1? Can we learn something interesting about math? Answer: YES, WE CAN ! But I'm going to work on fiction writing now. I'll talk about 10s complement math later. Also, how all this reminds me of Hoon.

          3 replies 0 retweets 12 likes
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        20. End of conversation

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