Precise Scientific Computation with a Microprocessor

When a high-level programming language is used for scientific computation, usually one must use standard floating point and choose the precision¿single, double, or higher¿before one´s program executes. This paper describes a modified Basic that accommodates the advanced computation techniques of dynamic adjustable precision and interval arithmetic. This language¿Precision Basic or Pbasic¿allows a user to routinely obtain his n decimal place answers accurate to the last decimal place. An interpreter for this modified Basic was recently completed that runs on a Z-80 microprocessor. Some features of the interpreter are described.