Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Euclidean algorithm/archive1: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:23, 27 April 2009

Revision as of 19:29, 27 April 2009

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I think that the sentence "The Euclidean algorithm is the oldest algorithm in the historical record" is wrong because of Old Babylonian algorithms used to solve problems. --[[User:El Caro|El Caro]] ([[User talk:El Caro|talk]]) 18:04, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

::This is a good point. The passage stated is uncited, but there is further down a box with a quote by Knuth which makes the nuanced observation that it is the "oldest ''nontrivial'' algorithm" that has survived to the present day. Since Knuth actually wrote an article in 19761972 on ancient Babylonian algorithms [http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/361454.361514] where he examined written records of their algorithms, presumably he was aware that the "nontrivial" is an important and necessary modifier. "Oldest nontrivial...", of course, is his opinion. --[[User:C S|C S]] ([[User talk:C S|talk]]) 19:21, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

:"Euclid's algorithm can be applied to real numbers, as described by Euclid in Book 10 of his Elements" looks like an anachronism. Did Euclid know real numbers ? --[[User:El Caro|El Caro]] ([[User talk:El Caro|talk]]) 18:17, 27 April 2009 (UTC)