Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to study performance of mathematical operations in software applications. Solving ordinary differential equations (ODE) is the main target to accomplish. Previous work in this field was done but there have not been intensive efforts to optimize performance. The research aims on designing an application that can solve general differential equations using certain algorithms (ODE solvers) and developing the system in different languages in order to find the best solution that maximizes the application's performance. The design is an object-oriented design (OOD) due to the possibility of future enhancements to the system. The application is developed in two different ways. One version of the application uses Java as the programming language. This version is fully implemented and tested. The other version, which can be part of the future work, uses Java (front-end), Java native interface (JNI), and C++ (back-end). Engineering Problem solver (EPS) is able to solve any differential equation using one of three algorithms that are build in to the system and plot the resulted solution as diagrams. During the development of the application performance is given great importance and is tested thoroughly. Certain changes are discussed to enhance this feature. The outcome of the research is a framework for mathematical applications, a useful system that solves ordinary differential equations, and a performance study of the application.