To: na.digest-list@na-net.ornl.gov Subject: NA Digest, V. 92, # 22 NA Digest Monday, June 1, 1992 Volume 92 : Issue 22 Today's Editor: Cleve Moler The MathWorks, Inc. moler@mathworks.com Today's Topics: Patriot Missle Bug Report Why is Raphson in "Newton-Raphson"? Errata, Bibliography on Soviet Works PICL/ParaGraph Users CSRD Reports Available via E-mail and FTP Solving Least Squares Problems Help Request to LaTeXperts High Performance Computing in Japan Travel to Minnesota's IMA MATLAB Supplement for NUMERICAL METHODS Faculty Position at University of Wollongong SIAG/OPT Prize Nomination Book in Sinc Methods from SIAM Submissions for NA Digest: Mail to na.digest@na-net.ornl.gov. Information about NA-NET: Mail to na.help@na-net.ornl.gov. ------------------------------------------------------- From: David Keaton Date: Thu, 28 May 92 11:12 MDT Subject: Patriot Missle Bug Report A government report on the failure of the Patriot Missile is available. The report is Patriot Missile Defense: Software Problem Led to System Failure at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia It is report number GAO/IMTEC-92-26, dated February 1992. The report is quite well done and includes pictures that show the exact process used to track a Scud. It contains the level of technical detail needed for us to understand what happened, yet presents it so that a non-technical person has a fighting chance at understanding it too. The problem began to manifest itself as roundoff error, but the real problem was precision error instead. They put the "real time since boot" clock in a single precision floating point number. To calculate a time interval, they took two snapshots of the clock and subtracted them. When the system had been up for more than eight hours, the absolute uptime started to get bigger than the mantissa and calculations got less and less accurate. Eventually, the Patriot would miss the window for tracking an incoming Scud. The field fix was just to reboot the Patriots every eight hours until a software fix arrived. However, the people manning the Patriots didn't get the word. The first copy of each GAO report is free. Additional copies are $2 each. Orders may be placed by calling (202) 275-6241, or by mail to U.S. General Accounting Office P.O. Box 6015 Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Make checks or money orders payable to Superintendent of Documents. David Keaton dmk@dmk.com ------------------------------ From: Stephen Nash Date: 27 May 92 09:57:00 EST Subject: Why is Raphson in "Newton-Raphson"? I am trying to find out why Raphson's name is attached to the Newton-Raphson method for finding solutions to nonlinear equations. I have in hand two suggestions: (a) Raphson translated Newton's notes on the topic (Newton wrote in Latin) and published them in the English version of Newton's "Universal Arithmetic," and in this way became associated with the method. (This would be analogous to "Horner's Rule", "Taylor Series", and "MacLaurin Series", all of which can be found in Newton's work.) (b) A couple of people have told me that they thought Raphson had extended Newton's work to problems in more than one variable. (I have not been able to find any solid evidence to support this idea.) I would be grateful if anyone could supply evidence that would settle this question, or suggestions about alternative explanations. Stephen Nash George Mason University snash@gmuvax.gmu.edu ------------------------------ From: Baker Kearfott Date: Wed, 27 May 92 09:56:23 CDT Subject: Errata, Bibliography on Soviet Works The entry in the last digest on the bibliography of papers by Soviet authors on interval computations stated: Alternatively, the first part of the bibliography appears in vol. 1 issue 1 of "Interval Computations". It should have been: vol. 1 issue 2. I apologize. Baker Kearfott rbk@usl.edu (Internet) ------------------------------ From: Diane Rover Date: Wed, 27 May 92 16:04:51 -0400 Subject: PICL/ParaGraph Users ATTENTION: PICL and/or ParaGraph software users The use of PICL (Portable Instrumented Communication Library) and ParaGraph has been spreading and, as users ourselves, we'd like to document interesting applications of these tools. While we are aware of a number of efforts, there are many unknown to us. For all our benefit, we'd like to compile and maintain information on users and uses. We REQUEST a brief description of your use of PICL and/or ParaGraph. Just fill in the form given below being as brief as possible. We will distribute a summary of responses to all who contribute. Please RESPOND BY June 22 to rover@ee.msu.edu with SUBJECT line "PICL/ParaGraph Survey". THANKS. Diane T. Rover Joan M. Francioni Dept. of Electrical Engineering Dept. of Computer Science Michigan State Univ. Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana rover@ee.msu.edu jf@cacs.usl.edu (Use includes: SLALOM (Use involves auralization benchmark program of PICL trace data coupled visualization and custom with visualization.) "machine views".) Name(s): Organization(s): Email Contact: Project Name (if any): Use: (Check one) __ As Is (from netlib) __ Customized (i.e., did you change PICL/ParaGraph code?) __ Both If customized usage, can your version be made available for external use? Summary Description of Use and/or Customization (couple of paragraphs is sufficient): Publications (if any, describing above use): Do we have permission to include your response in a summary? ------------------------------ From: Stratis Gallopoulos Date: Wed, 27 May 92 17:08:03 CDT Subject: CSRD Reports Available via E-mail and FTP Several recent technical reports from the Center for Supercomputing Research and Development (CSRD) are available in Postscript form and accessible using e-mail or anonymous ftp. The depository is maintained on a regular basis. Using netlib style e-mail: mail CSRD_Info@csrd.uiuc.edu TO OBTAIN MAIL BODY list of abstracts send index from reports_abstracts list of reports send index from reports abstracts: send .abs from reports_abstracts reports: send from reports Using anonymous ftp: ftp sp2.csrd.uiuc.edu login as "anonymous" with any password. cd CSRD_Info (the net-address for sp2.csrd.uiuc.edu is 128.174.162.51) TO OBTAIN ACTION list of abstracts: "cd reports" followed by "get index" list of reports: "cd reports_abstracts" followed by "get index" abstracts: "cd reports_abstracts" followed by "get .abs" reports: "cd reports" followed by "get " ------------------------------ From: Warren Ferguson Date: Wed, 27 May 92 18:56:24 CST Subject: Solving Least Squares Problems Does anyone know if the codes from Lawson and Hanson's book: Solving Least Squares Problems, Prentice Hall, 1974 is available somewhere, say by anonymous ftp? Warren Ferguson ferguson@csvax.seas.smu.edu ------------------------------ From: Vu Quoc Loc Date: Thu, 28 May 92 12:24:35 -0400 Subject: Help Request to LaTeXperts To the LaTeXperts of na-net: I recently began to use LaTeX, and have not figured out all the intricacies of LaTeX. I would like to request your help with the following matter. The idea is to import a file (e.g., a Fortran code) into a LaTeX file and to display it verbatim in the text output. However, I don't want to import the Fortran code physically into the LaTeX file, but rather use the LaTeX command \input to do the import. (This way any modifications to the code will reflect automatically in the text output without one having to modify the Fortran code in the LaTeX file again.) My problem is that I cannot do this task using the LaTeX command \verbatim (together with the \input command). With TeX, I use the command \setupverbatim (together with the \input command) as suggested in the command \listing on p. 380 of The TeXbook: \def\listing#1{\par\begingroup\setupverbatim\input#1 \endgroup} I appreciate if you could let me know of an equivalent way to have the command \setupverbatim working with LaTeX's documentstyle report. (I know that there is \setupverbatim in tugboat.sty.) Thank you, Loc Vu-Quoc ------------------------------ From: Raul Mendez Date: Fri, 29 May 92 09:02:55 JST Subject: High Performance Computing in Japan In last week's NA-Digest, the publisher for High Performance Computing: Research and Practice in Japan had been clipped out of the posting. It should have read: Edited by Raul Mendez Publisher John Wiley and Sons (Wiley Professional Computing) January, 1992 ISBN 0 471 92867 4 ------------------------------ From: Willard Miller Date: Fri, 29 May 92 14:30:24 CDT Subject: Travel to Minnesota's IMA ATTENTION TO ALL IMA TRAVELERS If you are planning to attend any of the Institute For Mathematics and Its Applications workshops; especially Environment: July 6-31, Mathematical Modelling for Graduate Students August 3-28, the P.D. E. Summer Graduate Program at Indiana University: July 13-August 7, or The Control Theory Tutorial: Sept. 8-11, 1992, PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE 1/2 PRICE AIRFARES. YOU WILL NEED TO BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS BY JUNE 5 AND USE THE TICKETS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 13, 1992. ------------------------------ From: John Mathews Date: Sunday, 31 May 1992 06:25 PDT Subject: MATLAB Supplement for NUMERICAL METHODS For anyone who will be adopting my textbook NUMERICAL METHODS: for Mathematics, Science and Engineering, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, Inc. 1992 A complete MATLAB package of algorithms for both the IBM-PC and Macintosh are available. Contact me for information. Please supply: 1. Your name. 2. Institutional affiliation. 3. Name of course and current textbook. 4. When you need the materials. John Mathews Prof. of Mathematics Calif. State Univ. Fullerton Fullerton, CA 92631 e-mail: mathews@fullerton.edu ------------------------------ From: Phil Broadbridge Date: Thu, 28 May 92 10:45:06 EST Subject: Faculty Position at University of Wollongong The Department of Mathematics, University of Wollongong, Australia, has a vacancy for a numerical analyst or computational mathematician, to be available from February 1993. The successful applicant will (a) be willing to collaborate on applied and industrial research projects and to develop his/her own specialist skills, (b) take a leading role in the teaching of numerical analysis at both undergraduate and graduate level, and (c) have some familiarity with computer algebra packages. The position will be tenurable and at the level of Lecturer or Senior Lecturer. In exceptional circumstances, an offer may be made at the level of Associate Professor. Salaries: Lecturer Aus $41000-48688, Snr. Lecturer $50225-57913, Assoc. Prof. $60475-66625. The Department has around 21 full time academic staff and supervises undergraduate, masters and doctoral programmes. The main research interests are in industrial and environmental mathematical modelling, partial differential equations, harmonic analysis, logic and applied statistics. The department is a member unit of the Faculty of Informatics, which particularly encourages future collaborative work in the areas of Telecommunications and Robotics. Initial inquiries should be made to Philip Broadbridge (61)(042) 213252, fax (61)(042)214845, e-mail P.Broadbridge@uow.edu.au ,or pbroad@wampyr.cc.uow.edu.au ------------------------------ From: SIAM Date: Fri, 29 May 92 09:20:46 EST Subject: SIAG/OPT Prize Nomination CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR SIAM ACTIVITY GROUP ON OPTIMIZATION (SIAG/OPT) PRIZE The SIAG/OPT Prize The SIAG/OPT will present its first award at the SIAM Annual Meeting in July 1993. The award is to be given to the author(s) of the most outstanding paper, as determined by the prize committee, on a topic in optimization published in English in a peer-reviewed journal. Nominations Nominations should include (1) a description of the significance of the paper, ( 2) the important questions that have been resolved and/or raised in the paper, (3) the applicatio ns of the work described in the paper, and (4) a copy of the paper in English. Nominations sho uld be received by no later than November 30, 1992 at the following address: SIAG/OPT Prize c/o SIAM 3600 University City Science Center Philadelphia, PA 19104-2688 Eligibility Candidate papers must be published in English in a peer-reviewed journal bearing a publication date within the period from January 1, 1987 to December 31, 1991. The papers must contain significant research contributions to the field of optimization, as commonly defined in the mathematical literature, with direct or potential applications. Description of the Award The award will consist of a plaque and a certificate containing the citation. The chair of the prize committee will notify the recipient(s) of the award in advance of the award date . An invitation will be extended to the recipient(s) to attend the award ceremony to receive the award and to present the paper. At least one of the awardees is expected to attend the ceremony and present the winning paper. ------------------------------ From: SIAM Date: Wed, 27 May 92 11:15:43 EST Subject: Book in Sinc Methods from SIAM FORTHCOMING PUBLICATION FROM SIAM Sinc Methods for Quadrature and Differential Equations John Lund and Kenneth L. Bowers Here is an elementary development of the Sinc-Galerkin method with the focal point being ordinary and partial differential equations. This is the first book to explain this powerful computational method for treating differential equations. These methods are an alternative to finite difference and finite element schemes, and are especially adaptable to problems with singular solutions. The text is written to facilitate easy implementation of the theory into operating numerical code. The authors' use of differential equations as a backdrop for the presentation of the material allows them to present a number of the applications of the sinc method. Many of these applications are useful in numerical processes of interest quite independent of differential equations. Specifically, numerical interpolation and quadrature, while fundamental to the Galerkin development, are useful in their own right. The intimate connection between collocation and Galerkin for the sinc basis is exposed via sinc-interpolation. The quadrature rules define a class of numerical integration methods that complement better known techniques, which in the case of singular integrands, often require modification. The sinc methodology of the text is illustrated on such applications as initial data recovery, heat diffusion, advective-diffusive transport, and Burgers' equation, to illustrate the numerical implementation of the theory discussed. Engineers may find sinc methods a very competitive approach to the more common boundary element or finite element methods. Further, workers in the signal processing community may find this particular approach a refreshingly different view of the use of sinc functions. Sinc approximation is a relatively new numerical technique. This book provides a much needed elementary level explanation. It has been used for graduate numerical classes at Montana State University and Texas Tech University. Contents Chapter 1: Preliminary Material; Chapter 2: Numerical Methods on the Real Line; Chapter 3: Numerical Methods on an Arc "Gamma"; Chapter 4: The Sinc-Galerkin Method; Chapter 5: Steady Problems; Chapter 6: Time-Dependent Problems; Appendix A: Linear Algebra; References. About the Authors John Lund is professor of mathematics in the department of mathematical sciences at Montana State University. Kenneth L. Bowers is associate professor of mathematics in the department of mathematical sciences at Montana State University. Available July 1992 / x + 304 pages / Hardcover / ISBN 0-89871-298-X List Price $42.50 / SIAM Member Price $34.00 / Order Code OT32 ------------------------------ End of NA Digest ************************** -------