number crunching

processing of large amounts of data

Number crunching is a slang term used in Computer engineering to refer to any computing operation that requires a large number of arithmetic operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing) - as opposed to (for example) memory reads and writes, accesses to disk drives or networking operations. By extension, a Number cruncher is either a computer that is dedicated to that kind of processing because of its role in some organisation - or a computer CPU that is especially designed to be good at arithmetic operations (typically at the cost of being worse at other things).
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number crunching, processing of large amounts of data

<application, jargon> Computations of a numerical nature, especially 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, especially if it involves ray tracing or fractals or some other use that makes pretty pictures, especially if such pictures can be used as wallpaper.
See also crunch.
[Jargon File]
(1995-03-17)

Noun
1. performing complex and lengthy numerical calculations
(hypernym) calculation, computation, computing