275 research outputs found
Symbolic-numeric interface: A review
A survey of the use of a combination of symbolic and numerical calculations is presented. Symbolic calculations primarily refer to the computer processing of procedures from classical algebra, analysis, and calculus. Numerical calculations refer to both numerical mathematics research and scientific computation. This survey is intended to point out a large number of problem areas where a cooperation of symbolic and numerical methods is likely to bear many fruits. These areas include such classical operations as differentiation and integration, such diverse activities as function approximations and qualitative analysis, and such contemporary topics as finite element calculations and computation complexity. It is contended that other less obvious topics such as the fast Fourier transform, linear algebra, nonlinear analysis and error analysis would also benefit from a synergistic approach
A "Piano Movers" Problem Reformulated
It has long been known that cylindrical algebraic decompositions (CADs) can
in theory be used for robot motion planning. However, in practice even the
simplest examples can be too complicated to tackle. We consider in detail a
"Piano Mover's Problem" which considers moving an infinitesimally thin piano
(or ladder) through a right-angled corridor.
Producing a CAD for the original formulation of this problem is still
infeasible after 25 years of improvements in both CAD theory and computer
hardware. We review some alternative formulations in the literature which use
differing levels of geometric analysis before input to a CAD algorithm. Simpler
formulations allow CAD to easily address the question of the existence of a
path. We provide a new formulation for which both a CAD can be constructed and
from which an actual path could be determined if one exists, and analyse the
CADs produced using this approach for variations of the problem.
This emphasises the importance of the precise formulation of such problems
for CAD. We analyse the formulations and their CADs considering a variety of
heuristics and general criteria, leading to conclusions about tackling other
problems of this form.Comment: 8 pages. Copyright IEEE 201
A CDCL-style calculus for solving non-linear constraints
In this paper we propose a novel approach for checking satisfiability of
non-linear constraints over the reals, called ksmt. The procedure is based on
conflict resolution in CDCL style calculus, using a composition of symbolical
and numerical methods. To deal with the non-linear components in case of
conflicts we use numerically constructed restricted linearisations. This
approach covers a large number of computable non-linear real functions such as
polynomials, rational or trigonometrical functions and beyond. A prototypical
implementation has been evaluated on several non-linear SMT-LIB examples and
the results have been compared with state-of-the-art SMT solvers.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures; accepted at FroCoS 2019; software available at
<http://informatik.uni-trier.de/~brausse/ksmt/
An implementation of CAD in Maple utilising problem formulation, equational constraints and truth-table invariance
Cylindrical algebraic decomposition (CAD) is an important tool for the
investigation of semi-algebraic sets, with applications within algebraic
geometry and beyond. We recently reported on a new implementation of CAD in
Maple which implemented the original algorithm of Collins and the subsequent
improvement to projection by McCallum. Our implementation was in contrast to
Maple's in-built CAD command, based on a quite separate theory. Although
initially developed as an investigative tool to compare the algorithms, we
found and reported that our code offered functionality not currently available
in any other existing implementations. One particularly important piece of
functionality is the ability to produce order-invariant CADs. This has allowed
us to extend the implementation to produce CADs invariant with respect to
either equational constraints (ECCADs) or the truth-tables of sequences of
formulae (TTICADs). This new functionality is contained in the second release
of our code, along with commands to consider problem formulation which can be a
major factor in the tractability of a CAD. In the report we describe the new
functionality and some theoretical discoveries it prompted. We describe how the
CADs produced using equational constraints are able to take advantage of not
just improved projection but also improvements in the lifting phase. We also
present an extension to the original TTICAD algorithm which increases both the
applicability of TTICAD and its relative benefit over other algorithms. The
code and an introductory Maple worksheet / pdf demonstrating the full
functionality of the package are freely available online.Comment: 12 pages; University of Bath, Dept. Computer Science Technical Report
Series, 2013-02, 201
A Generalized Framework for Virtual Substitution
We generalize the framework of virtual substitution for real quantifier
elimination to arbitrary but bounded degrees. We make explicit the
representation of test points in elimination sets using roots of parametric
univariate polynomials described by Thom codes. Our approach follows an early
suggestion by Weispfenning, which has never been carried out explicitly.
Inspired by virtual substitution for linear formulas, we show how to
systematically construct elimination sets containing only test points
representing lower bounds
A Survey of User Interfaces for Computer Algebra Systems
AbstractThis paper surveys work within the Computer Algebra community (and elsewhere) directed towards improving user interfaces for scientific computation during the period 1963–1994. It is intended to be useful to two groups of people: those who wish to know what work has been done and those who would like to do work in the field. It contains an extensive bibliography to assist readers in exploring the field in more depth. Work related to improving human interaction with computer algebra systems is the main focus of the paper. However, the paper includes additional materials on some closely related issues such as structured document editing, graphics, and communication protocols
Macsyma: A personal history
AbstractThe Macsyma system arose out of research on mathematical software in the AI group at MIT in the 1960s. Algorithm development in symbolic integration and simplification arose out of the interest of people, such as the author, who were also mathematics students. The later development of algorithms for the GCD of sparse polynomials, for example, arose out of the needs of our user community. During various times in the 1970s the computer on which Macsyma ran was one of the most popular nodes on the ARPANET. We discuss the attempts in the late 70s and the 80s to develop Macsyma systems that ran on popular computer architectures. Finally, we discuss the impact of the fundamental ideas in Macsyma on the author’s current research on large scale engineering and socio-technical systems
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