compute for

USAGE SUMMARY

"compute for" is not correct and usable in written English.
To indicate that someone should calculate an answer, you can use "compute" or "calculate". For example, "Please compute the total cost."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

Academia

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

That sort of does not compute for me.

The New York Times

How can we quickly compute for all pairs ?

Stanford University

Making sense of James's characters requires sharing assumptions about money and manners that simply don't compute for a contemporary audience.

The New York Times

And so I want to compute for the line integral along that curve.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

you might find that the scores you compute for all the docs are 0.

University of California, Berkeley

If you just want to compute for each k, one solution, but then you're done.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

An iterative Expectation-Maximization approach allows to compute, for each earthquake i, the background probability as ωi = μ ti /λ ti).

Nature

From these we can compute, for each pair with non-zero sketch overlap, a count of the number of values they have in common.

Stanford University

OK, so it has this system of wheels and everything that compute for you the line integral along C of, well, it depends on the model.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

These advantages allow us to compute, for the first time, all physical observables for multidimensional problems in an Eulerian framework.

Journal of Computational Physics

A newly-launched project, Eternity2.net, offers a chance to compute for a share of a US$2,000,000 prize.

University of California, Berkeley

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When you intend to perform a calculation, use the verb "compute" directly followed by the object of the computation. For example, say "Compute the total cost" instead of "Compute for the total cost".

Common error

A common mistake is adding "for" after "compute", which is unnecessary and grammatically incorrect. Always use "compute" directly with the value or result you are calculating, without the preposition.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "compute for" when it appears, is as a verb phrase, although it's grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI shows it's usually used to describe the action of calculating or determining a value. However, it's more correct to use "compute" alone.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

35%

Academia

30%

News & Media

20%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "compute for" appears across various contexts, including science, academia, and news media, it's generally considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI highlights this by identifying it as not correct English. The correct and more direct way to express the same idea is to use "compute" without the preposition "for". When writing, it's advisable to use alternatives such as "calculate", "determine", or "work out" to ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity. Remember to always use "compute" directly followed by the object of the calculation, as in "Compute the final cost".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

compute

This is the base verb, without the incorrect preposition.

calculate

This is a simpler and more direct verb for performing a calculation.

determine

Implies finding a specific value or result, often through computation.

work out

Suggests solving a problem or finding a solution via calculation.

calculate the value of

Specifies that a numerical quantity is being computed.

figure out

Emphasizes understanding or discovering something through computation.

find the solution

Focuses on problem-solving through calculation.

estimate

Implies an approximate calculation, often when precise computation is difficult.

quantify

Highlights the process of assigning a numerical value.

assess

Suggests evaluating or judging something based on calculation.

FAQs

How do I properly use "compute" in a sentence?

Use "compute" directly followed by what you're calculating, like "Compute the final score" or "Compute the area of the triangle". Avoid adding unnecessary prepositions after "compute".

Is "compute for" grammatically correct?

No, "compute for" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The correct usage is simply "compute" followed by the object of calculation.

What can I say instead of "compute for"?

Use alternatives such as "calculate", "determine", or "work out", depending on the specific context.

When is it appropriate to use "compute" in formal writing?

"Compute" is appropriate in formal and technical writing when you need to specify a numerical calculation. Make sure you are not adding the unnecessary preposition after compute.