Root-finding algorithm: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:04, 16 April 2023

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=== Fixed point iteration method ===

We can use the [[fixed-point iteration]] to find the root of a function. Given a function <math> f(x) </math> which we have set to zero to find the root (<math> f(x)=0 </math>), we rewrite the equation in terms of <math> x </math> so that <math> f(x)=0 </math> becomes <math> x=g(x) </math> (note, there are often many <math> g(x) </math> functions for each <math> f(x)=0 </math> function). Next, we relabel the each side of the equation as <math> x_{n+1}=g(x_{n}) </math> so that we can perform the iteration. Next, we pick a value for <math> x_{1} </math> and perform the iteration until it converges towards a root of the function. If the iteration converges, it will converge to a root. The iteration will only converge if <math> |g'(root)|<1 </math>.

As an example of converting <math> f(x)=0 </math> to <math> x=g(x) </math>, if given the function <math> f(x)=x^2+x-1 </math>, we will rewrite it as one of the following equations.