The Automatic Construction of Contour Plots with Applications to Numerical Analysis Research

摘要

The thesis describes a computer program for constructing a contour plot of a function of two variables. A mathematical description and error analysis of the method used by the program is described. A program writeup is given which describes how to use the program to draw contour plots for any function for which function values are available or can be computed. The program is used to minimize the spectral radius and spectral norm of some matrices associated with the method of successive overrelaxation. Examples of the use of the program for functions arising in the fields of astronomy and geology are given. (Author)