computer science

Nebulae (computer)

Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) rather than just read about it. In short: Nebulae (Chinese: 星雲) is a petascale supercomputer located at the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Built from a Dawning TC3600 Blade system with Intel Xeon X5650 processors and Nvidia Tesla C2050 GPUs, it has a peak performance of 1.271 petaflops using the LINPACK benchmark suite.

Key takeaways

Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nebulae (computer) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nebulae (Chinese: 星雲) is a petascale supercomputer located at the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Built from a Dawning TC3600 Blade system with Intel Xeon X5650 processors and Nvidia Tesla C2050 GPUs, it has a peak performance of 1.271 petaflops using the LINPACK benchmark suite. Nebulae was ranked the second most powerful computer in the world in the June 2010 list of the fastest supercomputers according to TOP500. Nebulae has a theoretical peak performance of 2.9843 petaflops. This computer is used for multiple applications requiring advanced processing capabilities. It is ranked 10th among the June 2012 list of top500.org.

See also Computer science Computing Supercomputer centers in China TOP500

References

Further reading "National Supercomputing Center starts construction in Shenzhen", People's Daily, November 17, 2009 Fildes, Jonathan, "China aims to become supercomputer superpower", BBC News, 31 May 2010

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nebulae (computer)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer)

In research: Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) 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: Nebulae (computer) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer hardware stubs, GPGPU supercomputers, One-of-a-kind computers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nebulae (computer) in simple terms?

Why does Nebulae (computer) 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 Nebulae (computer)?

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 Nebulae (computer).