Halfway through a timed midterm (no computers or calculators):

Convert this 5-digit decimal number to binary
Convert this 10-digit decimal number to binary
Convert this 20-digit decimal number to binary
Convert this even longer decimal number to binary

To be a good developer you should think like a computer.... OBVIOUSLY

Write an algorithm to solve it and claim to have solved the general problem. Depending on the prof it might work.

@Godisalie
I really don't think thats the purpose of the exercise. You don't write the math formula for partial integrals and then claim to have solved every general partial integral.

@ninjaintrouble Yeah, but the purpose of the exercise is stupid. ^^

Ew. That's awful.

@Mitiko be the computer*

Well... Tell them to convert .10 to binary

@mvalentin
I went in to programming so I would never have to do anything I could make a computer do for me

It is not that hard ... Tz, kids these days

@mrmarbury I'm an embedded software guy and I eat, sleep, and dream in binary and hexadecimal. It's not a matter if difficulty, it's a matter of pointlessness. Goof up one digit during the conversion and the rest will be garbage.

It's like being asked to do large number modular arithmetic (hundreds of digits) in a cryptography class. Just because it's something that can be asked doesn't mean it should be.

@capnsoup yeah I know that it's pointless. I had this in class back then as well. But I mean most if the stuff you learn is so pointless it makes your head spin. But if it is easy stuff like this I always preferred it over the complicated pointless stuff ... "Low hanging fruit" 😉 Kind of meditative for me. 😁 Like this thing where we had to develop network protocols with stochastics. Pretty easy once you get it but for a 5 node network you easily fill 2 sheets of paper front to back. And one mistake anywhere and you can start over. Advice to the OP: See it as a meditation practice. 😉