all hail the lowly 2x2
Nov. 15th, 2007 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
njordsifusansooSo yea, I didn't make the meeting or reconvene tonight. Instead I got to spend my time finishing up the first part of a project (well the part that is due tonight). It was one of those projects that seem easy enough: concept is easy to understand and straightforward, Coding went by for all but the last bit rather fast, what was emphasized to be the most challenging part (solving the Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of a 2x2 Jacobian) was very easy since the teacher went over The Lowly 2x2, etc.
So of course, I procrastinated. Now this wouldn't of been a problem, except I forgot that I had to solve some 3x3 systems of equations (3 equations, 3 unknowns). While conceptually easy to do, I don't have any routines written to do it, nor did I have a somebody else's library to do it for me. Now I remember last time I went looking for a library; I found several that were overly large and complex for what I needed to do (and they were dependent on various other packages that would also take work to set up to use). This time I got lucky and found a very simple free .h file that did what I needed (they have a pro version that can do a lot more and is faster, but all I needed was something that could solve Ax=b). The only thing was, the .h didn't want to compile because of some of the directives at the beginning (the make sure certain things are defined since they are in the c++ standard but not all compilers follow the standard). Well I solved that, got it to compile, but when I went to use it, got more errors. Ended up having to set up one of the examples included with the .h to figure out that the .h uses a namespace (it was buried in that pile of directives).
So I finally got a working matrix library, which let me solve those systems of equations (which let me figure the flow inside these triangles which let me solve a simpler 2x2 matrix to find if and where the flow is 0 inside the triangle). From there things got back on track, and I finished without any other real problems.
So reminder lesson to self: just because something something looks easy, doesn't mean its easy to implement. Also, matrix libraries are inherently evil.
Now to watch the new Naruto then possibly start playing Super Mario Galaxies before bed.
So of course, I procrastinated. Now this wouldn't of been a problem, except I forgot that I had to solve some 3x3 systems of equations (3 equations, 3 unknowns). While conceptually easy to do, I don't have any routines written to do it, nor did I have a somebody else's library to do it for me. Now I remember last time I went looking for a library; I found several that were overly large and complex for what I needed to do (and they were dependent on various other packages that would also take work to set up to use). This time I got lucky and found a very simple free .h file that did what I needed (they have a pro version that can do a lot more and is faster, but all I needed was something that could solve Ax=b). The only thing was, the .h didn't want to compile because of some of the directives at the beginning (the make sure certain things are defined since they are in the c++ standard but not all compilers follow the standard). Well I solved that, got it to compile, but when I went to use it, got more errors. Ended up having to set up one of the examples included with the .h to figure out that the .h uses a namespace (it was buried in that pile of directives).
So I finally got a working matrix library, which let me solve those systems of equations (which let me figure the flow inside these triangles which let me solve a simpler 2x2 matrix to find if and where the flow is 0 inside the triangle). From there things got back on track, and I finished without any other real problems.
So reminder lesson to self: just because something something looks easy, doesn't mean its easy to implement. Also, matrix libraries are inherently evil.
Now to watch the new Naruto then possibly start playing Super Mario Galaxies before bed.