[SciPy-dev] Generic polynomials class (was Re: Volunteer for Scipy Project)

[Fernando Perez]

Hi Chuck,

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 1:17 PM, Charles R Harris
<charlesr.harris at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> What else about the API do you like/dislike? I do want to push a new
> polynomial class. Unfortunately, the numpy namespace is already cluttered
> with the old one.

No, mostly just that coefficient order issue, which trips me up every
time.  I've only used them for teaching small examples, never 'in
anger', so I'm not the most qualified to talk.  When I needed
polynomial evaluation codes in the past, speed was  critical and I
needed them evaluated over arrays of points (quadrature nodes) for all
orders at all nodes, so I just rolled my own code in C by hand (well,
using weave.inline to fill pre-allocated empty numpy arrays).

But having poly code in scipy with:

- the correct choice of coefficient order
- that is stable and fast both for point-wise and for array-wise evaluations

would be great, as I wouldn't (for example) have had to roll my own.
Others with more extensive needs and experience on this, like Anne,
can pitch in with more informed ideas for the API than I can come up
with right now.

Cheers,


f