HP-29C: 98 Program Steps, So, why not an even 100?

[rprosperi]

(08-31-2019 09:41 PM)teenix Wrote:  

(08-31-2019 01:20 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Are the Nj numbers stored in some packed format, using something like the 1 x 2-digit Nj per byte as Bob suggested?

Hi Bob,

Attached a memory image from HP38.

I entered the problem on page 55 of user manual and also added 3 more "dummy" entries with Nj as 9, 8 and 4.

They seem to start at register 32 nibble 11 and 10, progressing downwards to 1 and 0, then jump to 13 and 12. Then more data appears in same order in next register (33). 2 nibbles per Nj.

cheers

Tony

Thanks Tony. Quite odd and from a programming sense I imagine pretty inconvenient, to have these Nj bytes stored in such a non-sequential way, jumping here and there in a non-obvious pattern. Why not just from 0/1 to 2/3, to 4/5, etc. and then on to the next register, so just incrementing upwards?

No doubt there is a good answer (there always is) but it just seems strange.

Thanks again.