On page 72 of the February issue, Oliver Sharp defines numerical analysis as the study of errors caused by computer arithmetic. Not so! The job of numerical analysts is to develop and analyze algorithms for mathematical problems in science and engineering. A numerical algorithm must produce an answer to a problem accurately and efficiently.
Consider two recent breakthroughs in the field: Karmarkar's interior-point method for linear programming and Greengard and Rokhlin's "fast multipole" algorithm for n-body problems. In each of these, unexpected insight led to a new algorithm significantly faster than its predecessors. Analysis of round-off error played no role in these discoveries.
Stephen Vavasis
Department of Computer Science
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
vavasis@cs.cornell.edu
Flexible C++
Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it
is
theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.
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An Incomplete Definition
