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Re:So you want to study mathematics by kjasdfj3 on Monday March 07, 2022 @10:06PM (#30595987)
What happens when you dont have tables?

In the land of the blind the guy with one eye walks everyone off a cliff.

Re:So you want to study mathematics by tibbar on Monday March 07, 2022 @11:16PM (#30596387)
I mean no one integrates to find the area under subsections of the normal distribution because you have to use numerical methods for that anyway. And it only gets more complicated from there with chi-squared and various degrees of freedom etc. Tables are a perfectly fine way to deal with distributions…
Re:So you want to study mathematics by novok on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @01:13AM (#30596962)
Most real life integrals and differential equations are not analytically solvable anyway, so you run into tables like you do with most real life applications of logarithms.

What happens is you learn numerical approximation methods and then recreate the tables with human 'computers', like we used to do before electrical computers came into play. Or create mechanical analog computers like they did in the 1800s or greek times.

Re:So you want to study mathematics by wbsss4412 on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @10:05AM (#30600659)
That’s question is akin to someone saying what happens when you don’t have a calculator. Everyone has one in their pocket at all times.

How would the typical person go about calculating the normal distribution by hand? Are we going to call everyone blind because they haven’t memorized e to arbitrary precision?

Re:So you want to study mathematics by jldugger on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @06:56PM (#30609093)
> What happens when you dont have tables?

IDK, what does R do?