Math 627 - Introduction to Parallel Computing

Learning Goals

• understand and remember the key ideas, concepts, definitions, and theorems of the subject. Examples include understanding the purpose of parallel computing and why it can work, being aware of potential limitations, and knowing the major types of hardware available. This information will be communicated in class and in the textbook, but also in additional reading. --> This information will be discussed in the lecture as well as in the textbook and other assigned reading.
• have experience writing code for a Linux cluster using MPI in C, C++, and/or Fortran that correctly solves problems in scientific computing. The sample problems are taken from mathematics and your code has to compile without error or warning, run without error, and give mathematically correct results first of all. In addition, it needs to run on a Linux cluster without error and you need to be able to explain its scalability, i.e., why or why not it executes faster on several processors than in serial. We will have problems stated in different ways and from various sources to provide you with exposure to as many issues as possible. --> This is the main purpose of the homework and most learning will take place here.
• have gained proficiency in delivering code written by you to others to use. This includes the concept of providing a README file that gives instructions how to compile and run the code as well as of providing a sample output file to allow the user to check the results. We will work together in class to discuss best practices to transfer code for homework problems of increasing complexity. --> You will submit your homework code by e-mail to the instructor and it needs to compile and run in parallel for credit; this is complemented by a report that shows and explains your results.
• have some experience how to learn information from a research paper and to discuss it with peers. Group work requiring communication for effective collaboration with peers and supervisors is a vital professional skill, and the development of professional skills is a declared learning goal of this course. --> I will supply some research papers carefully selected for their readability and relevance to the course. Learning from research papers is a crucial skill to develop.
• have experience with independent work and presenting it both in a written report and in an oral presentation. It is vital to gain experience with setting your own goals, estimating a realistic time line, working with peers and supervisors on regular updates and giving and receiving suggestions, submitting and editing a written report to standards of a research paper, and presenting your results in an oral presentation as part of a conference session. --> The class project will cover all of these components, and we will discuss the various steps necessary in class. Reading the research papers above will give you a frame of reference for how the report should look like.