What nutrients does compost have or add to soil

See the last five or so posts to this thread for the beginning of this discussion:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/784845/#new

Ooo - I just found a table with a few compost items broken down to their NPK values - it won't copy, but here's a link. Too bad its so short!

http://www.backyardbrevard.com/compost.html

Looks like if you mix fish scraps with cantoloupe rinds with grapefruit skins you beat Miracle Grow without all the salts.... yay!

Geese that's what sometimes makes the word compost confusing. Real finished compost has literally no NPK. It becomes a finished blend of living and dead biological elements and critters.
This biology and trace minerals working on unfinished organic content in your soil is where the natural NPK comes from.

Certainly little lumps and unfinished pieces would still retain very minor NPK. Compost when looked at closely in a finished pile will not reveal what previous content it was made up from. It smells earthy and has a dark brown color. The texture is grainy or small particles to small to identify. The big box stores have to do things prior to merchandising that kills most if not all of the living biology. They call their products compost too. Is it any wonder we get confused in our early learning days?

I came to belive that mulch remains mulch until it becomes compost. That portion of living biology between compost and your soil is compost in various stages thus it is one of the major values of mulch not to mention weed supression, moisture loss prevention and temperature ballance.

I think you're right doc. I question what the contents of what is in that manufactured compost anyway. Just because it's labelled natural, organic etc, does not mean it is.