From: fc03@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (Frederick W. Chapman)
Newsgroups: sci.math.num-analysis
Subject: Re: multiple precision floating point arithmetic ?
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:25:07 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

In article <1992Sep1.010903.23456@julian.uwo.ca>,
plenson@hi_presure_lab.gp.uwo.ca (Peter Lenson) writes:

>I need help in locating a package which does multiple precision floating  
>point operations with a precision of up to 500 decimal digit accuracy.


There is a *new* FORTRAN package for doing multiple-precision floating-
point and integer arithmetic; the package includes an expression translator
(i.e., program preprocessor).  The package was written by David H. Bailey,
of the NASA Ames Research Center.  I have attached an announcement (below)
that originally appeared in the "NA Digest" electronic newsletter.

For additional information about the package, please contact:

     David H. Bailey                                                     
     NASA Ames Research Center                                            
     dbailey@nas.nasa.gov


Sincerely,

Fred Chapman

...........................................................................


NA Digest   Sunday, April 26, 1992   Volume 92 : Issue 17

Today's Editor:

    Cleve Moler
    The MathWorks, Inc.
    moler@mathworks.com

Today's Topics:

    Multiprecision Computation Translator
    Multivariate Optimization
    SIAM Meeting Advance Registration Deadlines
    Position at University of Vienna
    Contents: Journal of Supercomputer Applications

Submissions for NA Digest: 
    Mail to na.digest@na-net.ornl.gov.

Information about NA-NET:
    Mail to na.help@na-net.ornl.gov.

-------------------------------------------------------

From: David Bailey <dbailey@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 10:46:38 -0700
Subject: Multiprecision Computation Translator

Some of you may be aware of a multiprecision computation package and a
multiprecision Fortran translator that I have developed during the
past year or two.  I am now pleased to announce that this software has
been approved by NASA Ames for unlimited international distribution,
at no cost.  A brief description of this software is as follows:

The first package contains approximately 85 Fortran subroutines that
perform a variety of arithmetic operations and transcendental
functions.  The basic arithmetic routines are very efficient, and for
extra high levels of precision (about about 1000 digits), some
additional routines are available that employ advanced algorithms,
such FFT-based multiplication and the Borwein transcendental
algorithms, for additional speedup.  On some problems these routines
are over 200 times faster than certain other multiprecision tools.

However, as with other such packages, manually converting a program to
use these routines is a tedious and error-prone process.  To
facilitate such conversions, I have now developed a multiprecision
translator for Fortran programs.  By means of source directives
(special comments) placed in a standard Fortran-77 program, the user
declares the precision level and specifies which variables in each
subprogram are to be treated as multiprecision.  The translator
program reads this source program and outputs a program with the
appropriate multiprecision subroutine calls, which can then be linked
with the multiprecision package and executed.

This translator program supports multiprecision integer, real and
complex datatypes.  The required array space for multiprecision data
types is automatically allocated.  In the evaluation of computational
expressions, all of the usual conventions for operator precedence and
mixed mode operations are upheld.  Furthermore, most of the Fortran-77
intrinsics, such as ABS, MOD, NINT, COS, EXP are supported and produce
true multiprecision values.

Both the multiprecision package and translator are written in highly
portable Fortran-77 and have been successfully implemented on a
variety of systems, ranging from parallel supercomputers to
workstations.

If anyone is interested in obtaining this software, plus the
accompanying documentation, please send me a note.  I eventually
intend to place this software on public media such as netlib, but for
the time being I prefer to keep a list of users, so that any bug fixes
or enhancements can be promptly distributed.

David H. Bailey 
NASA Ames Research Center 
dbailey@nas.nasa.gov

-------------------------------------------------------

-- 

o ------------------------------------------------------------------------- o
|  Frederick W. Chapman, User Services, Computing Center, Lehigh University |
|    Campus Phone:  8-3218     Preferred E-mail Address:  fc03@Lehigh.Edu   | 
|         "The day after yesterday is the second-to-last day before         |
|               the rest of your life the day after tomorrow."              |
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Newsgroups: sci.math.num-analysis