Re: How to write a loop
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg2550] Re: How to write a loop
- From: drc at gate.net (David Cabana)
- Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 01:13:30 -0500
- Organization: CyberGate
In article <48h4dh$rd5 at ralph.vnet.net>, "Enrico C. Walker" <ewalke1 at gl.umbc.edu> wrote: > I need to raise a number to some large exponent - i.e. 245 ^ 500. >I know that I may run into a problem by plugging it directly. so I'd like to find the result >by using some sort of programming loop such. > > DO 250 times > begin > > x = x * 245 ^ 2 > > end > PRINT X > >Can I do such programming in MATHEMATICA? Please advise. > >-RICO- Yes, you can, but why? Mma easily handles 245^500. I am curious, how would looping help in the event that Mma could not handle 245^500? In any case, here is a translation of your code: x=1; Do[ x = x * 245^2, {250} ]; x This gives x the value 245^500. -- David Cabana drc at gate.net "If five years from now we [the FBI] solve the access problem, but what we're hearing is all encrypted, I'll probably, if I'm still here, be talking about that in a very different way: the objective is the same. The objective is for us to get those conversations whether they're by an alligator clip or ones and zeros. Whoever they are, whatever they are, I need them." - FBI Director Louis Freeh, clarifying statements that the FBI may seek legislation to ban strong encryption, in an Sept. 1994 Q&A session, from a WELL article by Steven Levy. "Only in a police state is the job of a policeman easy." - Orson Welles