Number crunching
<application, jargon> Computations of a numerical nature, especially those that make extensive use of
floating-point numbers.
The only thing
Fortrash is good for.
This term is in widespread informal use outside hackerdom and even in mainstream slang, but has additional hackish connotations: namely, that the computations are mindless and involve massive use of
brute force.
This is not always
evil, especially if it involves
ray tracing or
fractals or some other use that makes
pretty pictures, especially if such pictures can be used as
wallpaper.
See also
crunch.
[
Jargon File]
