A '''minimax approximation algorithm''' (or '''L<sup>∞</sup> approximation'''<ref>{{cite book | title = Handbook of Floating-Point Arithmetic | page = 376 | publisher = Springer | year = 2009 | isbn = 081764704X | first1=Jean-Michel | last1=Muller }}</ref> or '''uniform approximation'''<ref name="phillips">{{cite bookdoi | page = 87 | title = Interpolation and Approximation by Polynomials | first = George M10. | last = Phillips | publisher = Springer | year = 2003 | isbn = 03870021541007/0-387-21682-0_2}}</ref>) is a method which aims to find an approximation such that the maximum error is minimized. Suppose we seek to approximate the function f(''x'') by a function p(''x'') on the interval [''a'',''b'']. Then a minimax approximation algorithm will aim to minimize<ref name="powell">{{cite book | chapter = 7: The theory of minimax approximation | first = M. J. D. | last= Powell | authorlink=Michael J. D. Powell | year = 1981 | publisher= Cambridge University Press | title = Approximation Theory and Methods | isbn = 0521295149}}</ref>
