Treats the behavior of numerical algorithms in finite precision arithmetic, combining algorithmic derivations, perturbation theory, and rounding error analysis and emphasizing software practicalities, with particular reference to LAPACK and MATLAB. Includes historical perspectives, especially on the work of Wilkinson and Turing, with quotations introducing chapters on subjects such as floating point summation, condition number estimation, and the Sylvester equation. Although designed as a reference rather than a text, it includes problems and solutions. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.