[ntp:hackers] on extrapolation and interpolation

Dave Hart davehart at davehart.com
Mon Feb 23 14:46:20 UTC 2009


> From: Peter Rosin [mailto:peda at axentia.se]
>
> (This is not interpolation as you are using the past to
> extrapolate into the future, even if the future is only
what
> is going on between now and the next system clock tick
that
> is about to happen very soon. I.e., you can't interpolate
> between A and B, if you don't know B.)

Thank you for your detailed response.  I wanted to deal with
the language part separately from the technical in case
anyone wants to tune out one part or the other.

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/extrapolate.html
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/interpolate.html

I'm sure different people prefer different online English
dictionaries.  In this one, they both seem perfectly fitting
choices to describe counter-based estimation of system time
that underneath sawtooths.

Perhaps you don't know B.  I know B.  It's coming in a few
milliseconds to a Windows clock underneath my palms.  ;)
But whether I know B or not, if you take the definitions
above rather than yours, either word fits perfectly.

Cheers,
Dave Hart


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