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Subject: Re: interesting idea

Author: Rolf Tueschen

Date: 03:26:30 09/07/02

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On September 07, 2002 at 03:34:55, José Carlos wrote:

>On September 06, 2002 at 21:42:17, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On September 06, 2002 at 16:26:14, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>>
>>>On September 06, 2002 at 15:55:09, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On September 06, 2002 at 15:41:41, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On September 06, 2002 at 15:28:09, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On September 06, 2002 at 14:38:15, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On September 06, 2002 at 14:17:59, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On September 06, 2002 at 11:53:13, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I have posted the raw data logs, the "cooked data" that I extracted from the
>>>>>>>>>logs, and the speedup tables (those for Martin last nite).  It might be
>>>>>>>>>interesting to take the cb.c program I also posted and change the speedup
>>>>>>>>>format to show 3 decimel places (I used 2 as Martin had suggested that would
>>>>>>>>>be better.)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>It would be interesting to run the program with 1, 2 and 3 decimel place
>>>>>>>>>accuracy, and let everyone look at the three tables and decide which one
>>>>>>>>>_really_ provides the most useful information.  I'll bet everyone likes
>>>>>>>>>.1 better than .11 because is .01 really significant?  Or is it just random
>>>>>>>>>noise?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>To a numerical scientist (as I'm sure you know) the numbers 1.8 and 1.80 are not
>>>>>>>>identical, 1.80 is ten times more accurate, and that is a powerful statement in
>>>>>>>>itself.
>>>>>>>>To produce such a number you need to (a) run a larger experiment and do some
>>>>>>>>statistics to get an average or (b) get some better and probably a lot more
>>>>>>>>expensive equipment (higher resolution mass-spectrometers, or whatever the
>>>>>>>>situation may call for), though in this case (a) seems like the only option.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>(a) was the course I took in my dissertation, but I had a 30 processor
>>>>>>>sequent that was basically "mine" for several months so running thousands
>>>>>>>of tests was not impossible.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>However, doesn't that leave the data open to the same criticism as the data
>>>>>>>in my dts JICCA article?  (that the data is not "raw")??  Because it will
>>>>>>>be an average, and that will make it look artificial...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>So back we go again?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Sorry, I'm not fully up to speed here because I haven't read all of the threads,
>>>>>>so my comment was more of a general nature :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>But I'd say it depends on what you want to show, if you have bunch of positions
>>>>>>that you want to know the speedup for, and you know that every time you run it
>>>>>>you get something sligthly different. Then, you have no choice but to roundoff
>>>>>>to lose a few of the inaccurate digits, or alternatively do additional work to
>>>>>>make sure you get the digits right.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>There seems to be little point in using a number of 1.983432 for a speedup, if
>>>>>>the next run will produce 1.9348284 and the next 1.96347823 etc., it looks
>>>>>>rather silly doesn't it :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Personally I would rather be presented with a clean average number of 1.94, or
>>>>>>even 1.9 or 2.0.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I've always used "averages" but for the DTS paper it was simply impossible.
>>>>>>>You might Call someone up like say "united computing" in texas and ask what
>>>>>>>they would have charged for a few months time on a dedicated C90.  :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>That is a dilemma, of course if you have no grasp what so ever on how much the
>>>>>>error is, you have a problem. So to be safe, it is better to use less digits ;)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Anyway, this is all something that can be read in any introductury data analysis
>>>>>>book, here is something I found on google:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>"From the mathematical standpoint, the precision of a number resulting from
>>>>>>measurement depends upon the number of decimal places; that is, a larger number
>>>>>>of decimal places means a smaller probable error. In 2.3 inches the probable
>>>>>>error is 0.05 inch, since 2.3 actually lies somewhere between 2.25 and 2.35. In
>>>>>>1.426 inches there is a much smaller probable error of 0.0005 inch. If we add
>>>>>>2.300 + 1.426 and get an answer in thousandths, the answer, 3.726 inches, would
>>>>>>appear to be precise to thousandths; but this is not true since there was a
>>>>>>probable error of .05 in one of the addends. Also 2.300 appears to be precise to
>>>>>>thousandths but in this example it is precise only to tenths. It is evident that
>>>>>>the precision of a sum is no greater than the precision of the least precise
>>>>>>addend. It can also be shown that the precision of a difference is no greater
>>>>>>than the less precise number compared.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>To add or subtract numbers of different orders, all numbers should first be
>>>>>>rounded off to the order of the least precise number. In the foregoing example,
>>>>>>1.426 should be rounded to tenths-that is, 1.4."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>http://www.tpub.com/math1/7b.htm
>>>>>>
>>>>>>(some great semantics at the very bottom:)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-S.
>>>>>
>>>>>Chapter three:
>>>>>
>>>>>Bob, how you could say that speed-up was measured? Isn't it a factor and
>>>>>therefore calculated?  come back to my first statement!
>>>>>
>>>>>Rolf Tueschen
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>OK... a terminology issue.  Board A is 2 feet long.  Board B is 3 feet long.
>>>>How long are both?
>>>>
>>>>measured:  put 'em end to end and let a tape show 5'???
>>>>
>>>>calculated:  measure each one and add the two lengths which shows 5'???
>>>>
>>>>The speedups were calculated, but there is an exact relationship between the
>>>>time taken to search with 1 processor vs the time taken to search with N
>>>>processors.  Speedup is defined to be that ratio.  IE the speedup was not
>>>>extrapolated, or calculated by finagling with various things like NPS, time,
>>>>outside temp, cpu mhz, etc.  It is just a direct result of dividing measured
>>>>number A into measured number B.
>>>>
>>>>Whether that quotient is "measured" or "calculated" seems to be moot since it
>>>>will be the _same_ result...???
>>>
>>>I'm getting older each day...
>>>
>>>But speed-up is a factor and _not_ seconds. Ok, this might be unimportant here.
>>>We're surely not searching for Newton's constants. Since we are depending on
>>>chess positions as you've said yourself. So we can't have 'exact' relationships.
>>>
>>>Rolf Tueschen
>>
>>
>>Here we do.  IE, the one cpu run takes two minutes.  The two cpu run takes
>>one minute.  The speedup is 2.0, which is produced by dividing the 1cpu time
>>by the 2cpu time.  In fact, that is the only way to get a speedup since you
>>really can't "observe" such a thing in raw form because it is a comparison
>>between two separate events...

>
>  Another example, in case someone still is confused about this, is "raw NPS"
>(which most people accept without problem). You don't meause NPS directly, you
>measure total nodes and time, and then calculate a ratio. Exactly the same as
>the speedup ratio.

Interesting how some are trying to fish in no man's land. But Bob is too smart
to utilize such tricks. While some always fall into their self-made traps.
Always. The "most people accept without problem" will become a real classic. Too
much unintentional confession in five words. The opposite of smartness...

Rolf Tueschen


>
>  José C.
>
>
>>But it can't possibly change unless one of the times changes.  And if one of
>>the times changes, then the speedup changes too.

>>
>>The exception occurs with rounding errors.  And with the times vs speedup,
>>as there are an infinite number of pairs of times that will pruduce a specific
>>speedup.



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