How to make a FOR loop to be efficient
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Hi,
I have a code that looks something like this.
tol = 1e-16;
a=1; b=500*pi; % b can be larger
pts = a:pi:b;
err=realmax;
fx = @(x) besselj(0,x); % or some other function
for i=1:size(pts)-1
[result,err] = somefun(fx,pts(i),pts(i+1)); %or some other function with the sub-intervals as scalar inputs.
end % for loop
Problem is that this type of logic takes a long time to converge. Is there a way to vectorize this loop? Modifying somefun.m itself is not really an option since they could be built-in functions.
Thanks, Jung.
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Answers (5)
Sean de Wolski
on 11 Jun 2012
eps(pi)
ans = 4.4409e-16
1e-16 is going to be a hard target to hit... Why not use a realistic tolerance?
1 Comment
Geoff
on 12 Jun 2012
Hmmm let me count the number of times over the past 20 years that I've needed a double-precision accuracy of one in ten quadrillion........... I would say it's approximately floor(1e-16).
Mike Hosea
on 12 Jun 2012
There is no way to do what you ask, and it would not help you much if there were. What is it that that you're really trying to do?
0 Comments
Jung
on 12 Jun 2012
4 Comments
Sean de Wolski
on 12 Jun 2012
working in the double precision floating point world you have to have realistic expectations for this kind fo thing. Looking for zero error (which is what you're doing above) is improbable if not impossible to attain. If you need that kind of precision to appease your physics buddies, use the Sympolic Math Toolbox and VPA along with INT or whatever other operations you need to hit that kind of precision.
http://scisyhp.deviantart.com/art/Physicists-vs-Engineers-179857993
Mike Hosea
on 13 Jun 2012
The nature of "somefun" is critical. If it's numerical integration and the integrand is smooth, you could use a high-order Gaussian quadrature rule, evaluate the function at each node with column j corresponding to pts(j) <= x <= pts(j+1), and do the bulk of the work in one matrix multiplication. This is obviously not an adaptive scheme, but there is a symbolic toolbox function that will calculate Gauss-Legendre nodes and weights, so you can go as high in order as you want (provided you have the memory for the resulting matrix of function evaluations). There are also various strategies you could employ to estimate the error.
newbie traveller
on 12 Jun 2012
if you have GPU (graphics Processing Unit ) then you can use them to compute the calculation in the for loop....check that whether the work that you are doing in the for loop is independent data or not!!i mean independent means one data is not dependent on the calculation of other data.....check that or you can also use the cores of the CPU or labs ......you can see on the command "open matlabpool" to get idea from this this actually helps you to use all of your cores or lab in the CPU........so the computation time will be reduced to a great extent and remember the command for PCT(parallel computing toolbox) the for will be changed and you will have to use 'parfor'..........clear enough?
Ryan
on 12 Jun 2012
Perhaps break this into two separate iterations where the first optimization happens more crudely using parameters spaced more greatly apart, then perform another optimization using more closely spaced parameter values based upon the results of the first loop.
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