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From: Scott Seidman <namdiesttocs@mindspring.com>
Newsgroups: comp.soft-sys.matlab
Subject: Re: Find Minimum
Date: 11 Feb 2008 19:59:33 GMT
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roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson) wrote in news:fopv5t$1vg$1
@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca:

> To my mind, you have not established that the unconstrained minima
> of arbitrary black-box functions can be found in finite time in *any*
> programming language.

Walter:  

A mathematician and an engineer were placed equidistant from a pot of gold.  
They were each given the same instructions.  They were permitted to 
approach the gold in increments of half their current distance from the 
gold.  The mathematician correctly pointed out that he would never get 
there.  The engineer knew he would get close enough.



-- 
Scott
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