From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Oct 23 04:34:49 2012
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52])
 by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B1ADA453
 for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>; Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:34:49 +0000 (UTC)
 (envelope-from erichfreebsdlist@ovitrap.com)
Received: from alogreentechnologies.com (alogreentechnologies.com
 [67.212.224.110])
 by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5E21A8FC0A
 for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>; Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:34:49 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from X220.ovitrap.com ([122.129.201.2]) (authenticated bits=0)
 by alogreentechnologies.com (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id q9N4YauB010779;
 Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:34:40 -0600
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:34:36 +0700
From: Erich Dollansky <erichfreebsdlist@ovitrap.com>
To: Gary Kline <kline@thought.org>
Subject: Re: way way off topic
Message-ID: <20121023113436.6748c811@X220.ovitrap.com>
In-Reply-To: <20121023042007.GA14738@ethic.thought.org>
References: <20121023042007.GA14738@ethic.thought.org>
X-Mailer: Claws Mail 3.8.0 (GTK+ 2.24.6; amd64-portbld-freebsd10.0)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Cc: FreeBSD Mailing List <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/options/freebsd-questions>, 
 <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
 <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:34:49 -0000

Hi,

On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:20:07 -0700
Gary Kline <kline@thought.org> wrote:

> 
> apologies up front for this math type quandary. I had it in a std C
> program, but 3+ hours of grepping havent found it.  I would have bet
> my last cent that I had a summary Somewhere, but cant find that
> either.
> 
> here is the problem as best I can remember it.
> 
> 
> 	let's say that john is 8 and his older friend, jim, is 22.  
> 	how much older is exact percentage terms is jim?
> 
> to find the answer I had to find the relative difference {22 - 8} and
> then do something with the difference.  this isn't any kind of trick
> or "advanced-cognition"; I just thought it was clever [and exact].
> it obviously works for finding the abs() results in subtraction.
> it's something I found on the web and swipes and save the prose
> discussion.  BZZT: Lost, :-(
> 
It seems that I am also lost. What should abs() do here?

I would multiply the age of john and the difference with 100 and then
divide the result to get the percentage.

Or did I get lost here?

> if this seems dumb, I plead guilty!
> 
> im asking here because -questions is the sharpest list on the net.
> 

Are you sure?

Erich