Mostali computations

From: ian (i.) gorlick <"ian>
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 11:43:00 -0400

Lewis Jardine posits:
>2) Dwarfs *think* in Octal, thus they are very good at calculations which
>greatly aids their engineering skills. In a world where human engineers
>work by experience and suck-it-and-see skills Mostali calculate the
>correct answers and run complex finite-element computational fluid
>dymanics simulations to check the answer!

The big problem is that these systems may well exhibit what we in the real world now call chaotic behaviour. The models won't work as the systems get bigger and run longer. This is part of the nature of the broken World Machine. If the WM can be fixed, then all the parts will work in a simple predictable manner again and the computations will provide accurate models. For now, they frequently go wrong. And the Mostali, being creatures of programming, won't stop using the inadequate models, because they KNOW that they worked before.

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