Difference between revisions of "3228: Day Counter"
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
{{incomplete|This page was created -.000000000000000032 days ago. Don't remove this notice too soon.}} | {{incomplete|This page was created -.000000000000000032 days ago. Don't remove this notice too soon.}} | ||
| − | {{w|Floating Points}} are numbers written in {{w|Scientific Notation}}, rounded to fit. They are often used for very large/small numbers, where writing the full number would get incredibly long. However, the rounding required to make these numbers can result in quite big rounding errors, which is | + | {{w|Floating Points}} are numbers written in {{w|Scientific Notation}}, rounded to fit. They are often used for very large/small numbers, where writing the full number would get incredibly long. However, the rounding required to make these numbers can result in quite big rounding errors, which can cause a fair amount of trouble. |
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| + | This is shown in the comic, where a counter is shown of days since there was last a Floating Point Error. However, the amount of time has been changed from a floating point & back, creating the ridiculous illusion that -0.00000000000000044 days have passed, which implies a 'negative' number of days, which is impossible{{cn}}. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
Revision as of 12:01, 3 April 2026
| Day Counter |
 Title text: It has been −2,147,483,648 days since our last integer overflow. |
Explanation
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This is one of 65 incomplete explanations: This page was created -.000000000000000032 days ago. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
Floating Points are numbers written in Scientific Notation, rounded to fit. They are often used for very large/small numbers, where writing the full number would get incredibly long. However, the rounding required to make these numbers can result in quite big rounding errors, which can cause a fair amount of trouble.
This is shown in the comic, where a counter is shown of days since there was last a Floating Point Error. However, the amount of time has been changed from a floating point & back, creating the ridiculous illusion that -0.00000000000000044 days have passed, which implies a 'negative' number of days, which is impossible[citation needed].
Transcript
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This is one of 38 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
[A sign is on a wall, reading: 'It has been -0.00000000000000044 days since our last floating point error', with the number in it's own box. Below, Ponytail (with her hand raised) & White Hat are talking, Cueball is working at a computer on a desk, while somehow levitating off his chair, & Megan is walking away.]
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Someone has to be first 2401:D005:D402:7A00:780:9D40:A38A:98A0 13:14, 3 April 2026 (UTC)
In response to the comment added by @GSLikesCats307, "When the comic was first published the number was −0.00000000000000017 days": Perhaps Randall was just trying to make things a bit more realistic. I've shown a realistic example that could generate −0.00000000000000044. My experiments didn't find any examples that could generate −0.00000000000000017. —Scs (talk) 15:15, 3 April 2026 (UTC)
The day counter is now showing −0.00000000000000044 on my Windows 11 system using Chrome. Maybe the result differs based on computer/browser combination? 72.218.191.213 16:16, 3 April 2026 (UTC)
The April Fools dark mode thing was kept! Lets go! King Pando (talk) 16:25, 3 April 2026 (UTC)
This comic was published during NASA's Artemis II moon mission. Could Cueball seeming to be floating above his chair be a reference to null gravity? PDesbeginner (talk) 17:12, 3 April 2026 (UTC) Add comment
