Accuracy and error analysis (was Re: [Maxima] primes)

--- Albert Reiner  wrote:

> Well the obvious notation is to just take the joint probability
> distribution of all independent quantities (including those that do
> not enter the ``pure'' computation) as an additional argument to the
> error-propagating function.
[...]
> Whether to call this automated error analysis is another question - I
> would view it more as providing a set of definitions for doing some
> specific tasks that happen to be useful for error analysis.

The natural generalization would be to implement a scheme
for probabilistic inference, of which error analysis is a
special case. It is pretty easy to describe the general
problem: it is the computation of certain integrals
and some other stuff. It would be straightforward to set 
up a framework within which one could describe general 
problems (without being able to solve them). Then we can 
implement the parts needed for error analysis,
and leave the rest for another day.

For what it's worth,
Robert Dodier


		
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