computer science

MINUIT

MINUIT is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MINUIT rather than just read about it. In short: MINUIT, now MINUIT2, is a numerical minimization software library developed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). It provides several algorithms that search for parameter values that minimize a user-defined function, and compute confidence intervals for the parameters by scanning the function near the minimum.

Key takeaways

MINUIT belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MINUIT to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MINUIT from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MINUIT, now MINUIT2, is a numerical minimization software library developed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). It provides several algorithms that search for parameter values that minimize a user-defined function, and compute confidence intervals for the parameters by scanning the function near the minimum. The software was originally developed in the FORTRAN programming language by staff physicist Fred James in the 1970s, and maintained until 1996 (version 96.03). As part of the ROOT project, the software was ported using the C++ language, and renamed MINUIT2. The software provides five minimization algorithms, that can be selected by simple input commands to the program. The recommended default algorithm MIGRAD is described as "a variable-metric method with inexact line search, a stable metric updating scheme, and checks for positive-definiteness". The program is widely used in particle physics and thousands of published papers cite use of MINUIT. In the early 2000s, Fred James started a project to implement MINUIT in C++ using object-oriented programming. MINUIT2 is an optional package in the ROOT release. As of October 2014 the latest version is 5.34.14, released on 24 January 2014. A Java port was developed, and a Python frontend to the C++ code is available.

References

External links F. James and M. Roos, Minuit: A System for Function Minimization and Analysis of the Parameter Errors and Correlations, Comput.Phys.Commun. 10 (1975) 343-367

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MINUIT

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MINUIT claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MINUIT before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MINUIT ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MINUIT

In research: MINUIT appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MINUIT in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MINUIT is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Numerical software, Software programmed in Fortran, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MINUIT outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MINUIT in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MINUIT means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MINUIT out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MINUIT in simple terms?

Why does MINUIT matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MINUIT?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MINUIT.