Statistics on the use of mathematical subroutines from a computer center library

Abstract

The Purdue University Computing Center has introduced a monitor into its operating system to gather statistics on the use of various system elements. A summary of these statistics for mathematical subroutines is presented here for a 3 month period (January 24, 1973, to April 20, 1973). Two tables are presented; Table 1 covers the use of the standard or built-in functions of high level languages (primarily Fortran). These functions have been grouped somewhat including putting complex and double-precision together with the ordinary versions of the functions. The maximum use of a complex and double-precision function occurs for ABS (2.2%) and EXPONENTIATION (1.5%), respectively. The total percentage of the use of complex and double-precision functions is 4.4% and 7.5% respectively. These values give estimates of the use of complex and double-precision arithmetic as follows: