An Application of FORMAC to the Computation of Coverage Functions.

S. D. Oman

Expert InsightsPublished 1970

A new method of computing coverage functions (target coverage functions when the subject is weapon effectiveness). Such functions usually cannot be evaluated exactly and require approximation or Monte Carlo methods to compute. The new approach, due to Mario L. Juncosa, uses a new set of damage functions that are both empirically realistic and mathematically tractable enough to allow fairly complicated integrals to be evaluated directly. It is implemented on the computer by means of PL/I-FORMAC, the IBM-written symbolic mathematical compiler (Formula Manipulation Compiler), illustrating how FORMAC may be used for real-world problems whose solutions are cumbersome. In this first application, the common problem of "expression swell" did not arise, the simplest case provided a fairly good approximation to the final answer, and the core storage and computing time required were minimal. 27 pp. Ref. (MW)

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Oman, S. D., An Application of FORMAC to the Computation of Coverage Functions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1970. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4453.html.
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