Research and Advances

Tests of probabilistic models for propagation of roundoff errors

Posted

In any prolonged computation it is generally assumed that the accumulated effect of roundoff errors is in some sense statistical. The purpose of this paper is to give precise descriptions of certain probabilistic models for roundoff error, and then to describe a series of experiments for testing the validity of these models. It is concluded that the models are in general very good. Discrepancies are both rare and mild. The test techniques can also be used to experiment with various types of special arithmetic.

View this article in the ACM Digital Library.

Join the Discussion (0)

Become a Member or Sign In to Post a Comment

The Latest from CACM

Shape the Future of Computing

ACM encourages its members to take a direct hand in shaping the future of the association. There are more ways than ever to get involved.

Get Involved

Communications of the ACM (CACM) is now a fully Open Access publication.

By opening CACM to the world, we hope to increase engagement among the broader computer science community and encourage non-members to discover the rich resources ACM has to offer.

Learn More