Droid X Calculator Inaccurate!!?

[LMO]

The droid is wrong!! it should have never given that answer. There is NO way that 1184.03 MINUS 1182.44 should equal anything BUT 1.59!! This is simple math. Nothing fancy to it. I would like davidnc and tntdroid to show me how the answer given on the droid is correct and the answer given on every other calculator is wrong.

Exactly! Well said. You should not even have to "round up" when you are using a calculator. Nor should you get an answer that would not be the same result had you used simple math. If you are using 2 decimal places, your result should be 2 decimal places. I can tell you that if my kids put that answer on their math test in school (by using this calculator) it would be marked wrong. Likewise, as I am sitting here doing my finances, I cannot fathom putting that number down.. it just ticks me off that I even have to "round up" to get a simple answer. I'm going to have to start searching for a good reliable, accurate calculator for the Droid I guess... :/

 

[greydarrah]

This thread, and the fact that people care about the huge calculator error, is cracking me up.

 

[Goldwinger]

Huh?

LOL , my point is though what are you going to possible check that "one millionth of an inch" is going to matter, I dont thing they make gear analyzer, cord. measuring machines, that check that close. Its just a theological number I dont think a teacher would mark it as a wrong answer.(close enough ) lol.

Probably not even measure space shuttle that close since it was built by the lowest builder (well so said in the movie anyhoo) ha

PS: would my bb calulator count as a comparison ? ,

Math is exact. Rounding is a human way of not having to deal with all those numbers. Rounding would have been a good answer if the situation was reversed, but since it was not, the calculator on the DX is wrong and can't be trusted. That's all the guy was saying.

I'm ok with your cavalier attitude of "Whatever", but to defend the inaccuracy with your examples and to continue to do so leads me to believe you don't fully understand why it's important for math functions to be accurate and any attempt to help you realize that is lost in translation.

Sometimes close enough is not good enough.

 

[Goldwinger]

Exactly! Well said. You should not even have to "round up" when you are using a calculator. Nor should you get an answer that would not be the same result had you used simple math. If you are using 2 decimal places, your result should be 2 decimal places. I can tell you that if my kids put that answer on their math test in school (by using this calculator) it would be marked wrong. Likewise, as I am sitting here doing my finances, I cannot fathom putting that number down.. it just ticks me off that I even have to "round up" to get a simple answer. I'm going to have to start searching for a good reliable, accurate calculator for the Droid I guess... :/

Try Calculator Mem. So far it's been accurate in it's calculations and I like that you can go back and review your input. It doesn't hurt that Andre is excellent about getting back to you on any issues you might have. It's the one I use.

 

[DroidDev]

Its just a theological number

I think you were looking for Theoretical.

 

[ragnarokx]

Actually the answer you got is more accurate as it gives you the answer to the much smaller decimal point. Round up and shut up Just wanted to say that....

Mathematically it is 100% correct. Same as saying Pi is 3.14 and Pi is 3.14159265

Both are correct. The latter is more accurate. I can set my TI-83 to do the same thing. The DXs calc's length of calculation after decimal is set to more then just two deep. This is not an issue, learn to round up and move on.

Although I am beginning to think the OP should read my signature...I think we just bit the troll bait....

I don't believe the OP's intention was to solicit a negative reaction - it appears the OP was genuinely frustrated.

 

[DroidDev]

Eh your probably right. I just found it a tad...strange...that someone would actually complain on a forum about it and my comment was attesting to the way I saw the post. Seems so trivial to me. Use another calculator app.

But then again to each their own

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

I just hope some of the people in this thread with their own idea of accuracy don't build aerospace or medical equipment

Even your lawnmower needs some measurements in the ten thousandth decimal place.

 

[DroidDev]

lol. True. Imagine if NASA let 10th graders build the worlds first Deep Space Research Vessel.

Also, do not let your Droid hear you say it is wrong. You never know what might happen....

 

[LMO]

Ragnarokx, yes I was very frustrated (as I said, trying to get my finances done and getting strange results), thanks.

DroidD, just asking for help from others to confirm what I could not actually believe happened on this awesome device. Glad to hear it was not just a glitch on my own.

Thank you to everyone who suggested an alternate calculator, I will check those out right now!
Laura

 

[davidnc]

The end ,

Actually got me laughing n the fact this thread was still going this long an even picked up speed

Sent Using TaPaTalk

 

[milominderbinde]

...
1184.03 - 1182.44 = 1.5899999

WTF!??? Any other calculator gives 1.59!...

I got the same error just now on the Stock EVO calculator. This is an Android error.

RealCalc Scientific Calculator can do basic addition and subtraction correctly. And the best part of the equation is that it is free.

 

[Johnly]

Ragnarokx, yes I was very frustrated (as I said, trying to get my finances done and getting strange results), thanks.

DroidD, just asking for help from others to confirm what I could not actually believe happened on this awesome device. Glad to hear it was not just a glitch on my own.

Thank you to everyone who suggested an alternate calculator, I will check those out right now!
Laura

I know what you mean. Ignore the people that can't subtract, and think the answere you were getting is exact. They have been out of school for a very long time or something. If you research this, the android calculator can be even more erroneous. I use a graphing calculator for logarithmic equations, ln, e, exponential functions, and the answers are always approximate (for exact answers, the result must be written in solved form, something high end calculators can't do) in your case, or anyone else, a calculator should ALWAYS yield exacts for simple math rules. The scientific calculator mentioned is great on android.

 

[Arelunde]

I'm hopeful that you are just kidding, or were you one of the designers of the original lenses on the Hubble telescope?

How did you do in hs math?

 

[ririder]

What's the problem? You just round off the ...899999. It's giving you an accurate answer.

There's a difference between accurate and correct...

 

[greydarrah]

There's a difference between accurate and correct...

Yeah, there's like, a bunch of different letters.

 

[Ace4]

There's a difference between "math" and "floating point math". You don't necessarily get similar precision answers in floating point math.

 

[Clemsonpablo]

Wow, some of these answers are truly astounding.

You subtracted a number with accuracy of 2 decimal points from a number with 2 decimal points. This means that your answer should end up with TWO (2) decimal points. There is no way to get more decimal points out of this.

Although 1.58999999 does indeed round up to 1.59, that is not an accurate answer, because there were ONLY TWO (2) DOS DEUX decimal points to begin with. Don't really know how else to drive this home.

 

[sniffs]

Or you could just remove the 118 from the equation and think of it as dollars..

You bought a Venti iced coffee from Starbucks and it cost 2 dollars and 44 cents out of your 4 dollars a 3 cents. You have 1 dollar and fifty nine cents left.

plain and simple

 

[milominderbinde]

Wow, some of these answers are truly astounding.

You subtracted a number with accuracy of 2 decimal points from a number with 2 decimal points. This means that your answer should end up with TWO (2) decimal points. There is no way to get more decimal points out of this.

Although 1.58999999 does indeed round up to 1.59, that is not an accurate answer, because there were ONLY TWO (2) DOS DEUX decimal points to begin with. Don't really know how else to drive this home.

YES! Exactly! Thank you!

1.58999999 is not a more accurate way of saying 1.59. 1.58999999 is LESS accurate because 1.58999999 is the wrong answer.

As one of my calc profs once said, "Numbers are not irrational. People are."