An example for the effect of round-off errors on numerical heat transfer

The effect of round-off errors on the solution of numerical heat transfer is illustrated by a simple example both analytically and numerically. It is found that the upper bound of the round-off error under both conditions with or without an inner heat source is proportional to the square of grid number—n². Increase in grid number might lead to larger round-off errors. The magnitude of relative round-off error is also determined by the specific problem. Proper treatment of the computation procedure can reduce the round-off error obviously. The precision can be improved with this method without occupation of additional computational resources.