Q&A: THE PENTIUM FDIV BUG

It's true !! The Pentium (TM) has a bug into the FPU. If you solve following mathematical formula : 4,000,000 - (4,000,000 / 3,000,000) * 3,000,000 (with double precision) you keep following results (NO JOKE) : Pentium (256), 486 (0). So there where now a lot of jokes.

Q: How many Pentium designers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: 1.99904274017, but that's close enough for non-technical people.

Q: What do you get when you cross a Pentium PC with a research grant?
A: A mad scientist.

Q: What's another name for the "Intel Inside" sticker they put on Pentiums?
A: The warning label.

Q: What do you call a series of FDIV instructions on a Pentium?
A: Successive approximations.

Q: Complete the following word analogy: Add is to Subtract as Multiply is to:

  1. Divide
  2. ROUND
  3. RANDOM
  4. On a Pentium, all of the above

A: Number 4.

Q: What algorithm did Intel use in the Pentium's floating point divider?
A: "Life is like a box of chocolates." (Source: F. Gump of Intel)

Q: Why didn't Intel call the Pentium the 586?
A: Because they added 486 and 100 on the first Pentium and got 585.999983605.

Q: According to Intel, the Pentium conforms to the IEEE standards 754 and 854 for floating point arithmetic. If you fly in aircraft designed using a Pentium, what is the correct pronunciation of "IEEE"?
A: Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!

Top Ten New Intel Slogans For The Pentium

9.9999973251 -- It's a FLAW, Dammit, not a Bug
8.9999163362 -- It's Close Enough, We Say So
7.9999414610 -- Nearly 300 Correct Opcodes
6.9999831538 -- You Don't Need to Know What's Inside
5.9999835137 -- Redefining the PC -- and Mathematics As Well
4.9999999021 -- We Fixed It, Really
3.9998245917 -- Division Considered Harmful
2.9991523619 -- Why Do You Think They Call It *Floating* Point?
1.9999103517 -- We're Looking for a Few Good Flaws
0.9999999998 -- The Errata Inside

THE TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY A PENTIUM MACHINE

  1. YOUR CURRENT COMPUTER IS TOO ACCURATE
  2. YOU WANT TO GET INTO THE GUINNESS BOOK AS "OWNER OF MOST EXPENSIVE PAPERWEIGHT"
  3. MATH ERRORS ADD ZEST TO LIFE
  4. YOU NEED AN ALIBI FOR THE I.R.S.
  5. YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT
  6. YOU'VE ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE A PLAINTIFF
  7. THE "INTEL INSIDE" LOGO MATCHES YOUR DECOR PERFECTLY
  8. YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CPU OVERHEATING
  9. YOU GOT A GREAT DEAL FROM JPL
  10. IT'LL PROBABLY WORK

Pentium Accronym

P - Produces
E - Erroneous
N - Numbers
T - Through
I - Incorrect
U - Understanding of
M - Mathematics

NEW INTEL SLOGANS

Use at your own RISC!
Intel Pentium processor: Right *most* of the time!
Intel Pentium: We *Redefine* how people doing Math
Pentium; up to 8 decimal digits accuracy
Pentium; aren't 8 decimal digits enough?
Intel inside, but can it divide?
Intel inside? CAN'T divide....
Intel probably somewhere inside
Intel blew it.... and they knew it!!!!
When does 2+2=5? "When there's Intel Inside".