Need help understanding what a and n are.

[ericnewman]

for n : 2 .. 10
var a : real := 1
loop
a := a + 1
if a > sqrt (n) then
put n,", "..
exit
end if
exit when n mod a = 0
end loop
end for

What would these variables be, I don't understand how the command "sqrt" works.

[StealthArcher]

If this is your code, than how come you dont already know what it does, if it isn't why are you stealing code?

[ericnewman]

I am not stealing code because i am not using it. I just wanted to understand it.

[StealthArcher]

Where is it from then, we've had too many incidences of people wanting their work done for them, who will then copy it and hand it in.

But for your question:
a and n would be integers or reals, It basically states that:
if a's value is over the value of the square root of n then...

square root being: A factor of a number which, when multiplied by itself, equals the number in question.

[ericfourfour]

StealthArcher, calm down. It's 11 lines of code and a very simple algorithm. Calling this stealing code is similar to saying every time someone copies the quicksort algorithm, they are stealing.

sqrt is a function. It returns the square root of a specified number.

[Nick]

OH NO!!! I stole the insertion sort algorithm!!!!!

honestly though n is an increasing number started at 2 ending at 10 and a is a number increasing by one every loop run

[Sean]

ericnewman @ Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:41 pm wrote:

for n : 2 .. 10
var a : real := 1
loop
a := a + 1
if a > sqrt (n) then
put n,", "..
exit
end if
exit when n mod a = 0
end loop
end for

What would these variables be, I don't understand how the command "sqrt" works.

a is a variable, set as a real number, which has been given the value of one. The n is the counter, starting from 2 and counting up to 10 by 1. The program keeps increasing a by 1 until a is greater then the sqrt of n.

[ericfourfour]

We can also try writing it in a more understandable language like ruby:

Ruby:

2.upto(10) do |n|   a = 1   loop do     a += 1     if a > Math.sqrt(n)       print "#{n}, "       break     end     break if n % a == 0   end end

Note: I guessed this, so it might not work.

[StealthArcher]

Can't tell myself, ruby isn't my forte.