number-crunching

n. [common] Computations of a numerical nature, esp. those that make
extensive use of floating-point numbers. The only thing Fortrash is good
for. This term is in widespread informal use outside hackerdom and even in
mainstream slang, but has additional hackish connotations: namely, that the
computations are mindless and involve massive use of brute force. This is
not always evil , esp. if it involves ray tracing or fractals or some other
use that makes pretty pictures , esp. if such pictures can be used as screen
backgrounds. See also crunch. Hydrodynamic number-crunching. (The next
cartoon in the Crunchly saga is 74-12-29. The previous cartoon was 74-08-18.

