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RE: XSLT for math computations (Was: Re: when to

Subject: RE: XSLT for math computations (Was: Re: when to use xslt)
From: "Michael Kay" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 09:45:14 -0000
math computations
I would just add to Dimitre's post that there are use cases for doing
mathematical computations such as these in any application that's generating
graphical output, for example in SVG: and generating SVG graphics is well
within the domain area of XSLT. 

I've personally found Dimitre's FXSL ideas most useful when doing graph
algorithms, for example detecting cycles in input data that's supposed not
to have any cycles in it. Again, this is well within XSLT's domain area.
(Incidentally, there is an example of such an algorithm in the 3rd edition
of XSLT Programmer's Reference, but it has an embarrassing error which I
discovered when I tried to apply it to a real problem on live customer data.
I've been meaning to post an update but haven't got around to it yet.)

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dimtre Novatchev [mailto:dnovatchev@xxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 15 January 2005 02:21
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:  XSLT for math computations (Was: Re:  
> when to use xslt)
> 
> > But Mark made the distinction, that it is not useful to use
> > XSLT for rather complex computations, in his example
> > calculating prime numbers. Though as a contrast, Dimitre
> > posted an example, where XSLT is used for a rather complex
> > computation, which runs fast and successful. So the question
> > whether XSLT should be used for mathematical problems or
> > stuff like this is not fully clear yet. (For me, at least :))
> 
> Fundamentally wrong and incorrect question !
> 
> Not only one shouldn't be forbidden to use whatever tool they
> themselves have selected.
> 
> The prime number problem is not at all an isolated example.
> 
> FXSL provides pure XSLT implementation of some most fundamental math
> function groups such as:
> 
>   - exponential/logarithmic: exp(), ln(). log(), log2(), log10(),
> sqrt(), pow(), ... etc.
> 
>   - trigonometric: sin(), cos(), tan(), cot(), secans(), cosecans()
> 
>   - inverse-trigonometric: the above with the prefix "arc"
> 
>   - Hyperbolic-trigonometric: the trigonometric fns with the 
> prefix "h"
> 
>   - Finding the root of any equation of the form f(x) = 0, where f()
> is a continuos function of one real argument -- using the
> Newton-Raphston method and the binary search method.
> 
>   - Random number generator functions that produce a sequence of
> random numbers in a given interval and/or with a given distribution
> 
>   - some statistical functions
> 
>   - etc.
> 
> See this at:
> 
>    
> http://fxsl.sourceforge.net/articles/xslCalculator/The%20FXSL%
> 20Calculator.html
> and
>    
> http://fxsl.sourceforge.net/articles/Random/Casting%20the%20Di
> ce%20with%20FXSL-htm.htm
> 
> 
> The other, factual reason is that using XSLT for math computations is
> simple, compact, elegant and fun.
> 
> For example, to get the sequence:
> 
> N^10, N = 1 to 10
> 
> one simply writes this one-line expression:
> 
>              f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),10), 1 to 10)
> 
> To get the sum of the tenth powers of all numbers from 1 to 10, one
> writes this one-liner:
> 
>      sum(f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),10), 1 to 10))
> 
> 
> To get the tenth root of the above, this one-liner is used:
> 
>    f:pow(sum(f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),10), 1 to 10)), 0.1)
> 
> 
> Here's the full result of a transformation. The expressions to the
> left of the "=" sign are the XPath expressions that are actually used
> in the transformation:
> 
> 
> 
> f:pow(2,5) = 32.000000498873234
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:flip(f:pow(), 2, 5) = 25.000000210097642
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),2), 1 to 10) = 
> 1
> 4.00000002487061
> 8.999999997225032
> 16.0000000654391
> 25.000000210097642
> 36.00000008032039
> 49.00000001473974
> 64.00000003117357
> 81.00000012870524
> 99.99999981533682
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),10), 1 to 10) = 
> 1
> 1024.000031977348
> 59048.99991721205
> 1.0485760215547918E6
> 9.765625412399698E6
> 6.046617668837886E7
> 2.8247524947463E8
> 1.0737418267311203E9
> 3.486784428898773E9
> 9.999999907930431E9
> -----------------------------------------------
> sum(f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),10), 1 to 10)) = 
> 1.4914341865157238E10
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:pow(sum(f:map(f:flip(f:pow(),10), 1 to 10)), 0.1) = 
> 10.407835264401298
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:log(2,4) = 0.5000000015112621
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:flip(f:log(), 2, 4) = 1.9999999939549515
> -----------------------------------------------
> f:map(f:flip(f:log(),2), 2 to 10) = 
> 1
> 1.584962493378093
> 1.9999999939549515
> 2.321928090518739
> 2.58496249071745
> 2.807354909651913
> 2.9999999868509244
> 3.169924988315051
> 3.3219280785926495
> 
> The time it took to produce these results on my PC was: 469 
> milliseconds
> 
> The results are self-explanatory and it is very easy to learn how to
> compose arbitrary expressions using the basic math functions and
> operators of FXSL and XPath 2.0.
> 
> The combining "glue" is functional composition and using
> currying/partial application.
> 
> Note also, that as of present all (most important) XPath 2.0 functions
> and operators can be used as higher-order functions, by using a
> convenient FXSL wrapper with the same name.
> 
> For example, to produce the sequence:
> 
>    2*N, N = 1 to 10
> 
> the following XPath expression can be used:
> 
>    f:map(f:mult(2), 1 to 10)
> 
> 
> In this expression f:mult() is(a wrapper of) the op:numeric-multiply
> operator as defined in
> 
>       http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-functions/#func-numeric-multiply
> 
> f:mult(2) is the partial application of f:mult() with 2 as the first
> argument. It is itself a function that takes one argument and returns
> it multiplied by 2.
> 
> FXSL provides such wrappers for all (most important) XPath 2.0
> functions and operators.
> 
> One final example. The following one-liner returns a sequence of
> numeric values approximating sqrt(2) with precision ranging from 0 to
> 13 digits after the decimal point:
> 
>     f:map(f:round-half-to-even(f:sqrt(2, 0.000001)), 0 to 13)
> 
> and the result is:
> 
> 1
> 1.4
> 1.41
> 1.414
> 1.4142
> 1.41421
> 1.414214
> 1.4142136
> 1.41421356
> 1.414213562
> 1.4142135624
> 1.41421356237
> 1.414213562375
> 1.4142135623747
> 
> 
> Hope this post makes it possible to be more clear about the usefulness
> of XSLT in math computations. It should certainly dispell the myth of
> XSLT being "slow" in these.
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Dimitre Novatchev
> 
> 
> > Fittingly, Michael emphasized in his post, that the
> > argument, XSLT is slow, is not accurate for straightforward
> > transformations any more, often the time for parsing the
> > input and serializing the output is neglected.

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