ABSTRACT
In the current state of growth in the computer hardware industry more and more power is being packed into small computers. Programmable calculators such as the TI-58 which have conditional jump and subroutine facilities are classed by the author as computers. Some scientists who use computers take the view that a 'good' program is an entirely automatic one. The operator has to supply some necessary data, but thereafter all the calculations and decisions are controlled by the program; the operator can go off for a round of golf and pick up the results later. In the study of quantum mechanics the use of a microcomputer is valuable in both teaching and research. Some scientists who use computers take the view that a 'good' program is an entirely automatic one. In the kind of investigations outlined above it is clear that at least a little theoretical analysis is needed to help us monitor the empirical investigation.
