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Kahan summation algorithm

Kahan summation algorithm proper noun: an algorithm that significantly reduces the numerical error in the total obtained by adding a sequence of finite-precision floating-point numbers, compared to the obvious approach, by tracking the accumulated small errors in a separate variable.

Proper noun

Kahan summation algorithm

  1. (numerical analysis) An algorithm that significantly reduces the numerical error in the total obtained by adding a sequence of finite-precision floating-point numbers, compared to the obvious approach, by tracking the accumulated small errors in a separate variable.

Origin of Kahan summation algorithm

The algorithm is attributed to Canadian mathematician William Kahan (born 1933).

Questions about Kahan summation algorithm

What does Kahan summation algorithm mean?
Kahan summation algorithm means an algorithm that significantly reduces the numerical error in the total obtained by adding a sequence of finite-precision floating-point numbers, compared to the obvious approach, by tracking the accumulated small errors in a separate variable.
What part of speech is Kahan summation algorithm?
Kahan summation algorithm is a proper noun.

Words near Kahan summation algorithm in the dictionary

  1. kahal
  2. kahalalide
  3. kahalalides
  4. kahals
  5. Kahan
  6. Kahan summation algorithm
  7. Kahana
  8. Kahanas
  9. Kahanism
  10. Kahanist
  11. Kahanists

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Kahan summation algorithm (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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