Solving Elliptic Problems Using Ellpack

ELLP ACK is a many faceted system for solving elliptic partial differential equations. It is a forerunner of the very high level, problem solving environments or expert systems that will become common in the next decade. While it is still far removed from the goals of the future, it is also far advanced compared to the Fortran library approach in common current use. Many people will find ELLP ACK an easy way to solve simple or moderately complex elliptic problems. Others will be able to solve really hard problems by digging a little deeper into ELLP ACK. ELLP ACK is a research tool for the study of numerical methods for solving elliptic problems. Its original purpose was for the evaluation and comparison of numerical software for elliptic problems. Simple examples of this use are given in Chapters 9-11. The general conclusion is that there are many ways to solve most elliptic problems, there are large differences in their efficiency and the most common ways are often less efficient, sometimes dramatically so.

Elliptic Problem Solvers, II covers the proceedings of the Elliptic Problem Solvers Conference, held at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California from January 10 to 12, 1983. The book focuses on various aspects of the numerical solution of elliptic boundary value problems. The selection first offers information on building elliptic problem solvers with ELLPACK; presentation and evolution of the club module; and a fourth order accurate fast direct method for the Helmholtz equation. The text then examines the ITPACK project, CMMPAK, solving elliptic problems on an array processor system, and parallel architectures for iterative methods on adaptive, block structured grids. Topics include adaptive solution algorithm, data structure, elliptic problem solvers, input data, and vector ITPACK. The publication ponders on conjugate gradient preconditioners for vector and parallel processors; an algebra for systolic computation; and an incomplete-Cholesky factorization by a matrix partition algorithm. The book also tackles the numerical solution of a model equation near the onset of the Rayleigh-Benard instability; numerical methods for solving coupled semiconductor equations on a minicomputer; and analysis of nonlinear elliptic systems arising in reaction/diffusion modeling. The selection is highly recommended for researchers interested in elliptic problem solvers.

A study of the art and science of solving elliptic problems numerically, with an emphasis on problems that have important scientific and engineering applications, and that are solvable at moderate cost on computing machines.

Handbook of Differential Equations, Second Edition is a handy reference to many popular techniques for solving and approximating differential equations, including numerical methods and exact and approximate analytical methods. Topics covered range from transformations and constant coefficient linear equations to Picard iteration, along with conformal mappings and inverse scattering. Comprised of 192 chapters, this book begins with an introduction to transformations as well as general ideas about differential equations and how they are solved, together with the techniques needed to determine if a partial differential equation is well-posed or what the "natural" boundary conditions are. Subsequent sections focus on exact and approximate analytical solution techniques for differential equations, along with numerical methods for ordinary and partial differential equations. This monograph is intended for students taking courses in differential equations at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and should also be useful for practicing engineers or scientists who solve differential equations on an occasional basis.

Most of the well-known mathematical software systems are batch oriented, though in the past few years there have been attempts to incorporate ``knowledge'' or ``expertise'' into these systems. A number of developments have helped in making the systems more powerful and user-friendly: algorithm/parameter selection for the solution of well-defined mathematical engineering problems; parallel computing; computer graphics technology; interface development tools; and of course the years of experience with these systems and the increase in available computing power have made it practical to fulfill the potential seen in the early years of their development. This book covers four main areas of the subject: Application Oriented Expert Systems, Advisory Systems, Knowledge Manipulation Issues, and User Interfaces.

Elliptic Problem Solvers provides information pertinent to some aspects of the numerical solution of elliptic partial differential equations. This book presents the advances in developing elliptic problem solvers and analyzes their performance. Organized into 40 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the approximate solution of using a standard Galerkin method employing piecewise linear triangular finite elements. This text then defines the types of vector architecture and discusses the variation in performance that can occur on a vector processor as a function of algorithm and implementation. Other chapters consider the implementation of techniques for elliptical problems. This book discusses as well the six techniques for the solution of nonsymmetric linear systems arising from finite difference discretization of the convection-diffusion equation. The final chapter deals with the basic semiconductor device equations. This book is a valuable resource for electrical and computer engineers, scientists, computer programmers, pure mathematicians, and research workers.