Distributed Computing
In: Technology
Let’s take an example that could be done in a classroom.
One way that we calculate the value of Pi is with something called the Leibniz formula. It’s an infinite series that goes something like…
1/1 – 1/3 + 1/5 – 1/7 + 1/9 – 1/11 + 1/13 … = pi/4
If you calculate that by hand, you can keep calculating more and more terms for it, and keep getting closer to the actual value of pi.
Now imagine you split this up to a bunch of kids in a class room. You give each one of 20 students a fraction to expand. They expand those and bring them back to you. You then take those values and add/subtract them together yourself to figure out the value of Pi.
You needed to solve all those fractions, but you gave the work out to each of the students. They did the work and returned it to you, and you then did something with that work.
Distributed computing is similar. You have a problem that can be broken down into smaller components. Each worker gets a small component, and then you coordinate when each one gets done, and take the results back to do something with. Often times those results will then result in more work being given out, which makes this a more continuous process.
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