Q&A: The Pentium FDIV Bug

Date in my archives: 05-Dec-1994

Forwarded with subject: Pentium Q&A

Q&A:  THE PENTIUM FDIV BUG
 
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!