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Computer science from A to Z
E is for Equation
“The great book of nature is written in the language of mathematics”, said Galileo.
But, when faced with some particularly tricky equations, scientists have found a useful ally in the computer!
Marine current dynamics, biochemical reactions in our cells, stresses on the structure of buildings..., we have equations which represent the changes in these phenomena over time. We start by looking for the solution to these equations in the form of written expressions with abstract symbols. But this is not always possible!
So we then turn to computers. Faster than us with numbers, they describe a function using its values at multiple points. If the function satisfies the equation at each point, then we have found a numerical solution to the problem.
Many mathematical questions can be tackled using numerical computing methods, which are constantly refined to improve their speed and accuracy. Computers can therefore be used to effectively predict the behaviour of complex systems, such as a new aircraft.
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