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0 pointsnick__m3mo ago0 comments

2 * 1000 is 2000 ;)

I think you meant 2**1000

the syntax for formatting ate your star https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc

0 comments

For anyone else who, like me a moment ago, doesn't know the meaning of ** but is curious: it's how many (but not all) programming languages express "to the power of", aka 2**1000 = 2^1000

pansa23mo ago

> 2**1000 = 2^1000

The reason for using `**` is that `^` is widely used for bitwise exclusive-or. So commonly `2**1000 != 2^1000`!

kragen3mo ago

I think Fortran used ** because EBCDIC didn't have ^ or uparrow. ABC and Python followed Fortran rather than C on this point. units(1) supports both.

2 more replies

swores3mo ago

Interesting, thanks!

fainpul3mo ago

And != means ≠

nuancebydefault3mo ago

Oh that's why i did not get any upvotes /i

Lucasoato3mo ago

Wow, I didn't know that you could write

  like
    this
      for
        code
          blocks

jockm3mo ago

It’s been around since at least occam, maybe longer

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

swores3mo ago

For anyone else who, like me a moment ago, doesn't know the meaning of ** but is curious: it's how many (but not all) programming languages express "to the power of", aka 2**1000 = 2^1000

pansa23mo ago

> 2**1000 = 2^1000

The reason for using `**` is that `^` is widely used for bitwise exclusive-or. So commonly `2**1000 != 2^1000`!

kragen3mo ago

I think Fortran used ** because EBCDIC didn't have ^ or uparrow. ABC and Python followed Fortran rather than C on this point. units(1) supports both.

2 more replies

swores3mo ago

Interesting, thanks!

fainpul3mo ago

And != means ≠

nuancebydefault3mo ago

Oh that's why i did not get any upvotes /i

Lucasoato3mo ago

Wow, I didn't know that you could write

  like
    this
      for
        code
          blocks

jockm3mo ago

It’s been around since at least occam, maybe longer

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse