---
title: "T/S Beats IBM!"
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published_at: "2026-03-13T23:43:07+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-13T23:43:08+00:00"
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excerpt: "Short article reproducing a floating-point precision benchmark from Fred Gruenberger in Scientific American (April 1984): enter 1.0000001 and square it 27 times. Sinclair BASIC produces only a 3.33% error while the Apple IIe produces 96.60% error and the IBM PC 1212.06% error. Suggests Timex/Sinclair owners keep their computer as a high-precision arithmetic tool even after…"
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  - name: "Timex/Sinclair 2068"
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indiv:
  - name: "Bob Orrfelt"
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  - name: "Bob Orrfelt"
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volume: "2"
issue: "7"
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  - id: 38805
    title: "Timelinez v2 n7"
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pages: "1"
pubdate: "July 1984"
archive_link: false
---

# T/S Beats IBM!

Short article reproducing a floating-point precision benchmark from Fred Gruenberger in Scientific American (April 1984): enter 1.0000001 and square it 27 times. Sinclair BASIC produces only a 3.33% error while the Apple IIe produces 96.60% error and the IBM PC 1212.06% error. Suggests Timex/Sinclair owners keep their computer as a high-precision arithmetic tool even after upgrading.