Using your PC as a one-node supercomputer is quite easy, and can be quite a fun exercise as you command the cores in the processor to do your digital bidding. From here on, it will be assumed that the reader has a working knowledge of the C language. So, the first step on your digital journey will be to write and run a simple C code to compute π. This code will perform numeric integration (using 300,000 iterations) on an x function representation of π. You will then convert this code's logic into its MPI version, run it on one core of the processor, and then gradually bring online the remaining cores. You will observe progressively improving processing speed as you activate successive cores. Let's start with the simple π equation:

This equation is one of many that are available for obtaining an approximate value of π. In later sections, we will explore a few more complex and famous equations that will give your supercomputer a more rigorous digital workout. The following...