From Science to Computational Sciences


Book Description

"In 1946 John von Neumann stated that science is stagnant along the entire front of complex problems, proposing the use of largescale computing machines to overcome this stagnation. In other words, Neumann advocated replacing analytical methods with numerical ones. The invention of the computer in the 1940s allowed scientists to realise numerical simulations of increasingly complex problems like weather forecasting, and climate and molecular modelling. Today, computers are widely used as computational laboratories, shifting science toward the computational sciences. By replacing analytical methods with numerical ones, they have expanded theory and experimentation by simulation. During the last decades hundreds of computational departments have been established all over the world and countless computer-based simulations have been conducted. This volume explores the epoch-making influence of automatic computing machines on science, in particular as simulation tools."--Back cover.




Fundamentals of Scientific Computing


Book Description

The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics -- Galileo Galilei How is it possible to predict weather patterns for tomorrow, with access solely to today’s weather data? And how is it possible to predict the aerodynamic behavior of an aircraft that has yet to be built? The answer is computer simulations based on mathematical models – sets of equations – that describe the underlying physical properties. However, these equations are usually much too complicated to solve, either by the smartest mathematician or the largest supercomputer. This problem is overcome by constructing an approximation: a numerical model with a simpler structure can be translated into a program that tells the computer how to carry out the simulation. This book conveys the fundamentals of mathematical models, numerical methods and algorithms. Opening with a tutorial on mathematical models and analysis, it proceeds to introduce the most important classes of numerical methods, with finite element, finite difference and spectral methods as central tools. The concluding section describes applications in physics and engineering, including wave propagation, heat conduction and fluid dynamics. Also covered are the principles of computers and programming, including MATLAB®.




A History of Scientific Computing


Book Description

Essays about pioneers in the field of scientific and numeric computing--John von Neumann, James Wilkinson, George Forsythe, and Howard Aiken--show how the drive to solve particular problems influenced the development of algorithms, software, and even computers. Methods that have led to new tools in computer analysis, such as the fast Fourier transform and finite-element and iterative methods, also are discussed, as well as the contributions of scientific organizations like ACM and SIAM and institutions like the Los Alamos Laboratory and the former National Bureau of Standards. The volume concludes with a view of numerical analysis in Europe and the Soviet Union. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




Scientific Computing


Book Description

This book explores the most significant computational methods and the history of their development. It begins with the earliest mathematical / numerical achievements made by the Babylonians and the Greeks, followed by the period beginning in the 16th century. For several centuries the main scientific challenge concerned the mechanics of planetary dynamics, and the book describes the basic numerical methods of that time. In turn, at the end of the Second World War scientific computing took a giant step forward with the advent of electronic computers, which greatly accelerated the development of numerical methods. As a result, scientific computing became established as a third scientific method in addition to the two traditional branches: theory and experimentation. The book traces numerical methods’ journey back to their origins and to the people who invented them, while also briefly examining the development of electronic computers over the years. Featuring 163 references and more than 100 figures, many of them portraits or photos of key historical figures, the book provides a unique historical perspective on the general field of scientific computing – making it a valuable resource for all students and professionals interested in the history of numerical analysis and computing, and for a broader readership alike.




Scientific Computing


Book Description

This book differs from traditional numerical analysis texts in that it focuses on the motivation and ideas behind the algorithms presented rather than on detailed analyses of them. It presents a broad overview of methods and software for solving mathematical problems arising in computational modeling and data analysis, including proper problem formulation, selection of effective solution algorithms, and interpretation of results.? In the 20 years since its original publication, the modern, fundamental perspective of this book has aged well, and it continues to be used in the classroom. This Classics edition has been updated to include pointers to Python software and the Chebfun package, expansions on barycentric formulation for Lagrange polynomial interpretation and stochastic methods, and the availability of about 100 interactive educational modules that dynamically illustrate the concepts and algorithms in the book. Scientific Computing: An Introductory Survey, Second Edition is intended as both a textbook and a reference for computationally oriented disciplines that need to solve mathematical problems.




The Science of Computing


Book Description

The identity of computing has been fiercely debated throughout its short history. Why is it still so hard to define computing as an academic discipline? Is computing a scientific, mathematical, or engineering discipline? By describing the mathematical, engineering, and scientific traditions of computing, The Science of Computing: Shaping a Discipline presents a rich picture of computing from the viewpoints of the field’s champions. The book helps readers understand the debates about computing as a discipline. It explains the context of computing’s central debates and portrays a broad perspective of the discipline. The book first looks at computing as a formal, theoretical discipline that is in many ways similar to mathematics, yet different in crucial ways. It traces a number of discussions about the theoretical nature of computing from the field’s intellectual origins in mathematical logic to modern views of the role of theory in computing. The book then explores the debates about computing as an engineering discipline, from the central technical innovations to the birth of the modern technical paradigm of computing to computing’s arrival as a new technical profession to software engineering gradually becoming an academic discipline. It presents arguments for and against the view of computing as engineering within the context of software production and analyzes the clash between the theoretical and practical mindsets. The book concludes with the view of computing as a science in its own right—not just as a tool for other sciences. It covers the early identity debates of computing, various views of computing as a science, and some famous characterizations of the discipline. It also addresses the experimental computer science debate, the view of computing as a natural science, and the algorithmization of sciences.




A History of Modern Computing, second edition


Book Description

From the first digital computer to the dot-com crash—a story of individuals, institutions, and the forces that led to a series of dramatic transformations. This engaging history covers modern computing from the development of the first electronic digital computer through the dot-com crash. The author concentrates on five key moments of transition: the transformation of the computer in the late 1940s from a specialized scientific instrument to a commercial product; the emergence of small systems in the late 1960s; the beginning of personal computing in the 1970s; the spread of networking after 1985; and, in a chapter written for this edition, the period 1995-2001. The new material focuses on the Microsoft antitrust suit, the rise and fall of the dot-coms, and the advent of open source software, particularly Linux. Within the chronological narrative, the book traces several overlapping threads: the evolution of the computer's internal design; the effect of economic trends and the Cold War; the long-term role of IBM as a player and as a target for upstart entrepreneurs; the growth of software from a hidden element to a major character in the story of computing; and the recurring issue of the place of information and computing in a democratic society. The focus is on the United States (though Europe and Japan enter the story at crucial points), on computing per se rather than on applications such as artificial intelligence, and on systems that were sold commercially and installed in quantities.




Histories of Computing


Book Description

Computer technology is pervasive in the modern world, its role ever more important as it becomes embedded in a myriad of physical systems and disciplinary ways of thinking. The late Michael Sean Mahoney was a pioneer scholar of the history of computing, one of the first established historians of science to take seriously the challenges and opportunities posed by information technology to our understanding of the twentieth century. MahoneyÕs work ranged widely, from logic and the theory of computation to the development of software and applications as craft-work. But it was always informed by a unique perspective derived from his distinguished work on the history of medieval mathematics and experimental practice during the Scientific Revolution. His writings offered a new angle on very recent events and ideas and bridged the gaps between academic historians and computer scientists. Indeed, he came to believe that the field was irreducibly pluralistic and that there could be only histories of computing. In this collection, Thomas Haigh presents thirteen of MahoneyÕs essays and papers organized across three categories: historiography, software engineering, and theoretical computer science. His introduction surveys MahoneyÕs work to trace the development of key themes, illuminate connections among different areas of his research, and put his contributions into context. The volume also includes an essay on Mahoney by his former students Jed Z. Buchwald and D. Graham Burnett. The result is a landmark work, of interest to computer professionals as well as historians of technology and science.




Scientific Computing with MATLAB and Octave


Book Description

Preface to the First Edition This textbook is an introduction to Scienti?c Computing. We will illustrate several numerical methods for the computer solution of c- tain classes of mathematical problems that cannot be faced by paper and pencil. We will show how to compute the zeros or the integrals of continuous functions, solve linear systems, approximate functions by polynomials and construct accurate approximations for the solution of di?erential equations. With this aim, in Chapter 1 we will illustrate the rules of the game thatcomputersadoptwhenstoringandoperatingwith realandcomplex numbers, vectors and matrices. In order to make our presentation concrete and appealing we will 1 adopt the programming environment MATLAB as a faithful c- panion. We will gradually discover its principal commands, statements and constructs. We will show how to execute all the algorithms that we introduce throughout the book. This will enable us to furnish an - mediate quantitative assessment of their theoretical properties such as stability, accuracy and complexity. We will solve several problems that will be raisedthrough exercises and examples, often stemming from s- ci?c applications.




Guide to Scientific Computing in C++


Book Description

This easy-to-read textbook/reference presents an essential guide to object-oriented C++ programming for scientific computing. With a practical focus on learning by example, the theory is supported by numerous exercises. Features: provides a specific focus on the application of C++ to scientific computing, including parallel computing using MPI; stresses the importance of a clear programming style to minimize the introduction of errors into code; presents a practical introduction to procedural programming in C++, covering variables, flow of control, input and output, pointers, functions, and reference variables; exhibits the efficacy of classes, highlighting the main features of object-orientation; examines more advanced C++ features, such as templates and exceptions; supplies useful tips and examples throughout the text, together with chapter-ending exercises, and code available to download from Springer.