Integrals with Python

[Jerzy Karczmarczuk]

Nathan Given wrote:


> I'm somewhat familiar with MATLAB, and I'm trying to move completely
> over to python... and I was wondering if there is a function out there
> that will compute integrals for me...

> I already have Numeric... what else do I need?

Perhaps you might need to know WHAT integrals you need to compute.

* Adaptive algorithms?
* Singularities possible? Integration interval always finite or not?
* Multi-dimensional cases? Recursive algorithms?
* Monte-Carlo and other random generator based integration tools?
* etc.

Anyway, I don't want to sound harsh, but NO FUNCTION OUT THERE will
"compute integrals for you". *You* may compute some integrals with
the aid of some procedures, appropriately chosen. And if there isn't
any, then Matlab, Python, etc. are good tools to implement them 
yourself. Romberg, all Gaussian quadratures, etc. - nothing really
difficult, and in several cases it is wiser to make a specific, problem-
oriented procedure (e.g. in some cases of wildly oscillating functions)
than to use generic, off-shelf tools.


Jerzy Karczmarczuk
Caen, France