Nick Maclaren wrote: > The problem with it is that it is an unrealistically pessimal model, > and there are huge classes of algorithm that it can't handle at all; > anything involving iterative convergence for a start. It has been > around for yonks (I first dabbled with it 30+ years ago), and it has > never reached viability for most real applications. In 30 years, it > has got almost nowhere. > > Don't confuse interval methods with interval arithmetic, because you > don't need the latter for the former, despite the claims that you do. > > |> For people just getting into it, it can be shocking to realize just how > |> wide the interval can become after some computations. > > Yes. Even when you can prove (mathematically) that the bounds are > actually quite tight :-)
I've been experimenting with a fixed-point interval type in python. I expect many algorithms would require you to explicitly round/collapse/whatever-term the interval as they go along, essentially making it behave like a float. Do you think it'd suitable for general-use, assuming you didn't mind the explicit rounding? Unfortunately I lack a math background, so it's unlikely to progress past an experiment. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
