Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 64 (9164 total)
3 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,870 Year: 4,127/9,624 Month: 998/974 Week: 325/286 Day: 46/40 Hour: 1/4


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Jerry's Calculation of Entropy in Genome
RAZD
Member (Idle past 1433 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 13 of 23 (207917)
05-13-2005 10:24 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by PaulK
05-13-2005 3:01 AM


How do I know ? Because the factorial operation (denoted by '!') is only defined for integers. The calculation is nonsense, since the denominator for the ratio is undefined.
actually it is a possible lack of math formalism being exhibited ...
I enter 1.6 into my windoze {calculator\"scientific setting"} and hit the {n!} button and get 1.4296245588603044182985600527885
I also got a message that "the requested operation may take a long time to complete: do you want to continue?" when I asked it to compute 41469.4!
the answer for that is 1.4982978786211478993674730926215e+173487
the actual function for real numbers is called the gamma function
Gamma Function -- from Wolfram MathWorld
where it "is defined to be an extension of the factorial to complex and real number arguments."
and this would be what the calculator is actually using, and someone just using the button would not be aware of this difference.
the original use in the formula is for where you have a set on {N} items (an integer) and two (integer) subsets {M} and not{M} where {M}+not{M}={N}
as would be the case where you had an identified number of microstates (you don't get half a state)

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by PaulK, posted 05-13-2005 3:01 AM PaulK has not replied

  
RAZD
Member (Idle past 1433 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 17 of 23 (208205)
05-14-2005 7:29 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by derwood
05-14-2005 3:51 PM


Re: is it worth it?
I reached a similar conclusion shortly after he ran away from the first rebuttals of his {arguments\opinions} while launching a salvo of *chuckle* and the odd ad hominum.
still waiting for evidence in the fossil record that shows a {just created} state in the {human\hominid} ancestry and clear evidence of the superior height from which we have since "devolved"
among others

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 14 by derwood, posted 05-14-2005 3:51 PM derwood has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024