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Subject: Re: New crap statement ? Perpetuum mobile

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 20:59:26 10/03/01

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On October 03, 2001 at 17:04:25, Miguel A. Ballicora wrote:

>On October 03, 2001 at 11:44:30, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On October 03, 2001 at 10:51:13, Miguel A. Ballicora wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>There is between two separate searches through the hashtable, killers etc.
>>>That is how "synergy" lowers the time in iterative deepening.
>>>
>>
>>
>>Ok.. You do a 5 ply iteration on one processor, and a 6 ply iteration on the
>>other, in parallel, and show me the "synergy".  Notice that your example is
>>_exactly_ my point.  "SERIAL".  The 5 ply search _must_ be done first.  It
>>then orders the 6 ply search more efficiently.  If you do them in parallel,
>>you don't get this synergy.
>>
>>And actually, "synergy" is the wrong term here, because iterative deepening
>>is _also_ a purely sequential algorithm.
>
>So? synergy applies to things that are sequential too.
>

But that has nothing to do with "parallel synergy".  The argument is for
or against super-linear speedup.  To even come close to justifying such a
claim, there must be some sort of parallel synergy exhibited.  And there
isn't, in alpha/beta.  But even if there were, the two-thread on one processor
algorithm would be faster than the normal one processor algorithm, and the
super-linear speedup disappears that way too...


>>>Yes, really. On other planets too. I am not going to discuss more on this
>>>example because we are wasting time, yours and mine. It supposed to illustrate
>>>an aspect of synergistic effects and nothing more. There many examples of this
>>>in science. I understand you might not believe what I tell you, so please
>>>believe any textbook that deals with friction and mechanics. Those are typical
>>>examples.
>>
>>I have one right here.  Which part would you like to discuss here?  It is
>>_always_ easier to drag than to lift and carry.  Perhaps in "dragging" you have
>
>Well, it is not _always_ easier and explained why already. If you want to find
>it in a book it may be in the exercises of the chapter that deals with static
>and dynamic friction coefficient. Anyway, this example was colateral.
>
>>to provide a lifting force to overcome part of the friction.
>>
>>>
>>>Faster solution does not involve expending more energy. Do not confuse
>>>kinetics and thermodynamics. In fact, life is finding faster ways
>>>to do things that might not look the most favorable (energetically).
>>>
>>
>>That is _my_ point.  But in your example, it _does_ involve expending
>>more energy.  One man can drag 10 200lb blocks N feet in M units of
>>time.  Two men can do that in M/2 units of time.  If both drag a block
>>together, they will expend more energy than if each drags one.  Because
>>the acceleration is not free and they have to move _twice_ as fast.  And
>>that means more "work" is being done.  A computer can't do "more work".
>>So the example simply doesn't apply.
>>
>>
>>>You did not like Bruce's example? This one does not involve scientific
>>>knowledge:
>>>Team A: One person , 1 cart, 100 boxes too heavy to lift by only one person.
>>>Team B: Two persons, 1 cart, same 100 boxes.
>>>Task = move them 100 yards.
>>>
>>>Team B will take <50% of the time that it will take for Team A. Lifting
>>>once onto a cart is easier than pushing.
>>
>>I use an inclined plane to slide the boxes onto the cart.  Remember, if you
>
>You do not have an inclined plane, that was not part of the example.
>If you change the rules of this simple example we can be discussing
>for ever going for branches of the "analogy tree". I knew this is what
>could happen. We end up discussing things that are irrelevant.
>


Then the speedup is infinite, and the example is no good.  Because _one_ man
simply can not do the job at all.  This has nothing to do with alpha/beta,
because we _know_ that one processor _can_ search the tree.



>Miguel



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