[plt-scheme] Experience Using Mz(Dr)Scheme for Numerical Work

On Apr 18, 2005, at 9:05 AM, Jens Axel Søgaard wrote:

>  For list-related administrative tasks:
>  http://list.cs.brown.edu/mailman/listinfo/plt-scheme
>
> Will M. Farr wrote:
>
>>> Why not use mzscheme for incremental development and bigloo for the 
>>> long computations?
>
>> I have considered this, but I'd prefer not to have to transfer my 
>> code between systems before conducting a serious run.  Once you have 
>> a good stellar dynamics code (a n-body integrator), there's a lot of 
>> stuff you can do with it, but most of this involves patching other 
>> physics codes into it---stellar evolution (some of the stars explode 
>> now, rather than just moving according to Newton's Law) is one 
>> example.
>
> Using nothing but R5RS isn't that difficult, but it requires 
> discipline.
> In a physics context it is possible to get quite far with small means.
> Perhaps you know "Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics"?
> Here is a random page:
>
>    <http://mitpress.mit.edu/SICM/book-Z-H-11.html#%_sec_Temp_58>
>
> showing how to find trajectories for a harmonic oscillator.

Warning: SICM is _not_ written in R5RS. It implements a special 
language, which someone here mostly ported to DrScheme.

-- Matthias



> That is, developing in DrScheme and deploying in, say, Gambit or
> Stalin is feasible.
>
> However if choose a Common Lisp solution and have a PPC, then take a
> look at:
>
>   FPC-PPC (Version 0.21)
>   A floating-point compiler for MCL and OpenMCL. This compiles Lisp
>   double-float expressions directly into PPC assembly language, 
> producing
>   code that is usually faster and that allocates much less memory than 
> the
>   Lisp compiler.
>   (Code | Documentation)
>
> See the bottom of <http://vorlon.cwru.edu/~beer/> .
>
>
> -- 
> Jens Axel Søgaard
>
>