Abstract
A practical approach is proposed to the problem of simultaneously computing a function, its partial derivatives with respect to all the variables, and an estimate of the rounding error incurred in the computed value of the function. Theoretically, it has a complexity at most a constant times as large as that of evaluating the function alone, the constant being independent of the number of variables of the function, and it is an alternative graphical interpretation of W. Baur and V. Strassen’s results, with some generalizations. Practically, it is stated in a form easily implementable as a computer program, which enables us to automatically compute the derivatives if we are given only the program for computing the function. Remarks are added also on the cases of several functions, of higher derivatives and of non-straght-line programs, and on application to problems containing differential equations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
F. L. Bauer, Computational graphs and rounding errors. SIAM J. Numer. Anal.,11 (1974), 87–96.
W. Baur and V. Strassen, The complexity of partial derivatives (extended version, January 1982), unpublished note.
C. Berge,Graphes et Hypergraphes. Dunod, Paris, 1970.
S. E. Dreyfus, An appraisal of some shortest-path algorithms. Operations Research,17 (1969), 395–421.
F. Harary,Graph Theory. Addison-Wesley, Reading, 1969.
M. Iri,Network Flow, Transportation and Scheduling—Theory and Algorithms. Academic Press, New York, 1969.
M. Iri and N. Iwata, Automatic computation of partial derivatives (in preparation).
M. Iri, J. Tsunekawa and K. Murota, Graph-theoretic approach to large-scale systems of equations—Structural solvability and block-triangularization (in Japanese). Trans. Inform. Process. Soc. Japan,23 (1982), 88–95. (English translation available from the authors.)
K. Murota,Structural Solvability and Controllability of Systems. Doctor’s dissertation at the Department of Mathematical Engineering and Instrumentation Physics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, April 1983.
M. Jerrum, private note (August 1982). Personally communicated by V. Strassen to the author, December 1983.
J. H. Wilkinson, Error analysis of floating-point computation. Numer. Math.,2 (1960), 319–340.
R. E. Moore,Interval Analysis. Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey, 1966.
L. B. Rall,Automatic Differentiation—Technique and Applications. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 120, Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, 1981.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Iri, M. Simultaneous computation of functions, partial derivatives and estimates of rounding errors —Complexity and practicality—. Japan J. Appl. Math. 1, 223–252 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03167059
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03167059