The elementary functions (sine, cosine, exponentials, logarithms . . . ) are the most commonly used mathematical functions. Computing them quickly and accurately is a major goal in computer arithmetic. This book gives the theoretical background necessary to understand and/or build algorithms for computing these functions, presents algorithms (hardware-oriented as well as software-oriented), and discusses issues related to the accurate floating-point implementation of these functions. My purpose was not to give "cooking recipes" that allow to implement some given functions on some given floating-point systems, but to provide the reader with the knowledge that is necessary to build, or adapt algorithms to his or her computing environment. When writing this book, I have had in mind two different audiences: specialists, who will have to design floating-point systems (hardware or soft ware parts) orto do research on algorithms, and inquiring minds, who just want to know what kind of methods are used to compute the math functions in current computers or pocket calculators. Because of this, the book is in tended to be helpful as well for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students in computer science or applied mathematics as for professionals engaged in the design of algorithms, programs or circuits that implement floating-point arithmetic, or simply for engineers or scientists who want to improve their culture in that domain.
"An important topic, which is on the boundary between numerical analysis and computer science.... I found the book well written and containing much interesting material, most of the time disseminated in specialized papers published in specialized journals difficult to find. Moreover, there are very few books on these topics and they are not recent."
–Numerical Algorithms (review of the first edition)
This unique book provides concepts and background necessary to understand and build algorithms for computing the elementary functions―sine, cosine, tangent, exponentials, and logarithms. The author presents and structures the algorithms, hardware-oriented as well as software-oriented, and also discusses issues related to accurate floating-point implementation. The purpose is not to give "cookbook recipes" that allow one to implement a given function, but rather to provide the reader with tools necessary to build or adapt algorithms for their specific computing environment.
This expanded second edition contains a number of revisions and additions, which incorporate numerous new results obtained during the last few years. New algorithms invented since 1997―such as Matula’s bipartite method, another table-based method due to Ercegovac, Lang, Tisserand, and Muller―as well as new chapters on multiple-precision arithmetic and examples of implementation have been added. In addition, the section on correct rounding of elementary functions has been fully reworked, also in the context of new results. Finally, the introductory presentation of floating-point arithmetic has been expanded, with more emphasis given to the use of the fused multiply-accumulate instruction.
The book is an up-to-date presentation of information needed to understand and accurately use mathematical functions and algorithms in computational work and design. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students, professionals, and researchers in scientific computing, numerical analysis, software engineering, and computer engineering will find the book a useful reference and resource.
