Computer Systems
  Home arrow Computer Systems arrow Millennium Run, Simulating the Univers...
Dev Hardware Forums 
Computer Cases  
Computer Processors  
Computer Systems  
Digital Cameras  
Flat Panels  
Gaming  
Hardware Guides  
Hardware News  
Input Devices  
Memory  
Mobile Devices  
Motherboards  
Networking Hardware  
Opinions  
PC Cooling  
PC Speakers  
Peripherals  
Power Supply Units  
Software  
Sound Cards  
Storage Devices  
Tech Interviews  
User Experiences  
Video Cards  
Mobile Linux 
APP Generation ROI 
IBM® developerWorks 
Weekly Newsletter
 
Developer Updates  
Free Website Content 
 RSS  Articles
 RSS  Forums
 RSS  All Feeds
Write For Us Get Paid 
Request Media Kit
Contact Us 
Site Map 
Privacy Policy 
Support 
 USERNAME
 
 PASSWORD
 
 
  >>> SIGN UP!  
  Lost Password? 
COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Millennium Run, Simulating the Universe
By: Developer Shed
  • Search For More Articles!
  • Disclaimer
  • Author Terms
  • Rating: 4 stars4 stars4 stars4 stars4 stars / 16
    2005-07-19

    Table of Contents:
  • Millennium Run, Simulating the Universe
  • Using the Results
  • The Earth Simulator
  • The Blue Brain

  • Rate this Article: Poor Best 
      ADD THIS ARTICLE TO:
      Del.ici.ous Digg
      Blink Simpy
      Google Spurl
      Y! MyWeb Furl
    Email Me Similar Content When Posted
    Add Developer Shed Article Feed To Your Site
    Email Article To Friend
    Print Version Of Article
    PDF Version Of Article
     
     
    ADVERTISEMENT


    Millennium Run, Simulating the Universe


    (Page 1 of 4 )

    A supercomputer used for a research project known as the “Millennium Run” aims to simulate the evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to present. To prove or revise theories about the universe’s creation, the simulation tracks billions of mass points and tracks the movement of dark matter. The results can then be compared to the current state of the universe. Read on to find out more.

    The Virgo Consortium is responsible for the Millennium Run, which is performed on one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. Located at the Max Planck Society in Garching, Germany, the machine is rated #85 on the Top 500 list of 2004 (http://www.top500.org). Its 822 processors are reported as reaching 2.198 TFLOPS (trillion floating point operations per second), which is still impressive despite the world’s top machine reaching 70.72 TFLOPS. Five years ago, the fastest supercomputer ran at a mere 0.170 TFLOPS.

    Researchers are using data about the radiation spreading after the Big Bang, collected by heat detecting satellites. Also, the simulation uses laws of physics established here on earth and our current understanding of the makeup of the universe. This information is turned into equations and algorithms and used to track some of the largest masses since the universe began. The very principle of the experiment is that people can quantify and understand every factor in the spreading of the universe as numbers, and that there must be an equation for everything with a noticeable impact on the universe’s evolution.

    There supercomputer is tracking 10,000,000,000 points of mass, the largest of such simulations which still only accounts for about 0.003% of the total mass of the universe that we know about. The mass points are roughly a billion times the size of our sun, and they do not correspond to anything substantial. For instance, a mass point is not the location of a star or black hole. The mass points are just for simulation purposes, trying to add proportionate gravity to areas of the universe where there are stellar objects.

    For each step of the simulation, the program must calculate the gravitational pull of each object on every other object. Each single mass point is moved by every one of the billions of other points. To do the calculations for every point over billions of years would take 60 thousand years on the current hardware setup. Because this is a little too long to be helpful to researchers, they developed a system of separating the simulated universe into smaller sections. Mass points within each section are summed, and their combined mass is then used for the calculations. Instead of measuring the relationship between every single mass point, the points are instead moved by the combined mass of sections of the universe. After the revised programming, it took the supercomputer roughly a month of constant work to come up with the first set of results.

    More Computer Systems Articles
    More By Developer Shed


       · Mike, I like the way you write, you're a perfect newspaper writer !!!!
       · Thank you very much for the compliment. I guess it's those years of school paying...
     

    COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARTICLES

    - Dell Inspiron i545s-1476N and Sony Vaio L117...
    - Asus UL50AG-RBBBK05 Laptop
    - Alienware M15x Laptop
    - Sony Vaio VGN-NW240F and HP Envy 15-1050nr L...
    - The Asus K60IJ-RBLX05 and the Dell Inspiron ...
    - The HP Pavilion Slimline 5220y and the Dell ...
    - Toshiba Satellite E105-S1802 and Asus K60IJ-...
    - The Archos 5 Internet Tablet
    - The Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook and the Gateway...
    - The Toshiba Satellite T135-S1309 and the Son...
    - The Yukyung Viliv S7 and the Dell Inspiron 1...
    - The Velocity Micro Edge Z30 and the Falcon N...
    - Netbooks: Samsung Go N310 and Gateway LT3103u
    - Acer Aspire M5800-U5802A and eMachines EZ160...
    - The Sony Vaio W111XX and Asus Eee PC 1101HA






    © 2003-2010 by Developer Shed. All rights reserved. DS Cluster 1 Hosted by Hostway
    For more Enterprise Application Development news, visit eWeek