The evaluation of special functions
The scipy.special module contains numerically stable definitions of useful functions. Most often, the straightforward evaluation of a function at a single value is not very efficient. For instance, we would rather use a Horner scheme (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horner%27s_method) than a formula to find the value of a polynomial at a point. The NumPy and SciPy modules ensure that this optimization is always guaranteed with the definition of all its functions, whether by means of Horner schemes or with more advanced techniques.
Convenience and test functions
- All the convenience functions are designed to facilitate a computational environment where the user does not need to worry about relative errors. The functions seem to be pointless at first sight, but behind their codes, there are state-of-the-art ideas that offer faster and...