Interval Methods for Kinetic Simulations

We propose a speed-up method for discrete-event simulations, including sweep-line or -plane techniques, requiring the repeated calculation of the times at which certain discrete events occur. Instead of calculating these event times precisely, we use interval methods to obtain less expensive approximations that may still be adequate for the simulation. This can happen because some events get descheduled before they actually happen, or because event time comparisons can be resolved using only information about their bounding intervals. The computed intervals are refined as necessary, when greater accuracy is needed. For geometric objects described by polynomials, including moving objects on polynomial trajectories, the proposed method is shown to give a speed-up roughly proportional to the degree of the polynomials.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1999
• Where: COMPGEOM
• Authors: Leonidas J. Guibas, Menelaos I. Karavelas
• Keywords: Certain Discrete Events, COMPGEOM 1999, Discrete Geometry, Event Time, Event Time Comparisons