We have learned in class about the Newton-Cotes rules for numerical integration. We all know much about the accomplishments of Sir Isaac Newton and the impact that his work has had on science and mathematics. His colleague, Roger Cotes, was no slouch either.

Roger Cotes was born in Burbage, Leicestershire, England in […]

While reading section 8.1 in the textbook, I came across the part on Cholesky Factorization. In an effort to figure out how to pronounce “Cholesky”, I tried searching the internet for Andre Louis Cholesky, who I assumed was yet another boring mathematician who spent all is time investigating some (fantastic) theorem. Instead, Cholesky’s […]

As we’ve seen over and over again, rounding/truncation errors present problems in the real world. But what about the ways in which people (more specifically, the people in power) try to compensate for these errors?
Take this example, where drivers in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom were overcharged for fuel. (Imagine how you […]