Numerical Errors

Numerical techniques necessarily approximate the systems we are trying to model, as we are taking discrete points from continuous functions. It therefore is obvious that errors are going to occur, and as it turns out, there are a few kinds of errors to keep in mind when running and testing your solutions to various physical problems. The errors can be caused by such things as the imprecision inherent in using digital computers to errors as a result of choice of algorithm. This chapter discusses many of the kinds of errors you should be aware of when programming, testing and writing up the projects for this course.