Solutions to Non-linear Equations
Introduction
Dr. Umer Farooq Ahmed
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Goals
After completing this lecture you will be able to know
What is nonlinear function and nonlinear equation
transcendental function and transcendental equation
Various methods for solving Transcendental equation
– Bisection Method
– Regula-Falsi Method
– Method of iteration
Numerical Examples of above methods
Application of these method
– Where?
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Root of an equation
In graph, the root (or zero) Various numerical methods for
of a function is the x- root-finding
intercept
The Bisection Method
The False Position Method
root Fixed point iterations
The Newton-Raphson Method
The Secant Method
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Solution of an equation
Graphically, as shown in Fig. 3-1, the solution is the point
where the function f(x) crosses or touches the x-axis.
An equation might have:
– no solution
– or can have one solution
– or several (possibly many) roots.
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How to find solution of an equation?
When the equation is simple, the value of x can be
determined analytically (Direct Method).
– This is the case when x can be written explicitly by
applying mathematical operations, or when a known
formula (such as the formula for solving a quadratic
equation) can be used to determine the exact value of x.
In many situations, however, it is impossible to determine the
root of an equation analytically.
– Can you give some examples of such equation?
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Example
For example, the area of a segment As of a circle with radius r
(shaded area in Fig. 3-2) is by:
If we want to find theta, it can’t be explicitly written.
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Methods
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Graphical Method
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Graphical Method
Step 1: Rewrite f (x) = 0 as f1(x) = f2(x)
Step 2: Determine the point of intersection of the graphs of y
= f1(x) and y = f2(x).
Step 3: The first approximation to a root of f (x) = 0 can be
taken as the abscissa obtained in step 2
– Abscissa is the distance from a point to the vertical
or y -axis, measured parallel to the horizontal or x -
axis; the x -coordinate.
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Example: Graphical Method
Consider,
𝑓 ( 𝑥)=𝑥 −sin 𝑥 − 1=0
It can be written as x – 1 = sin x.
Now, we shall draw the graphs of y =(x -1) and y = sin x
The approximate value
of the root is found to be
1.9
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Example: Graphical Method
Graphical techniques are of limited practical value because
they are not precise.
However, graphical methods can be utilized to obtain rough
estimates of roots.
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Example: Graphical Method
Aside from providing rough estimates of the root, graphical
interpretations are important tools for understanding the
properties of the functions and anticipating the pitfalls of the
numerical methods.
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Numerical solution of an equation
A numerical solution of an equation is a value that
approximately satisfies the equation
Example:
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
The process of solving an equation numerically is different
from the procedure used to find an analytical solution.
An analytical solution is obtained by deriving an expression
that has an exact numerical value.
A numerical solution is obtained in a process that starts by
finding an approximate solution and is followed by a
numerical procedure/method in which a better (more
accurate) solution is determined.
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
How we estimate/guess initial numerical solution of an
equation f(x) = 0?
An initial numerical solution of an equation f(x) = 0 can be
estimated by plotting f(x) versus x and looking for the point
where the graph crosses the x-axis.
It is also possible to write and execute a computer program
that looks for a domain that contains a solution.
– Such a program looks for a solution by evaluating f(x) at
different values of x.
– It starts at one value of x and then changes the value of x
in small increments.
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
A change in the sign of f(x) indicates that there is a root
within the last increment.
In most cases, when the equation that is solved is related to an
application in science or engineering, the range of x that
includes the solution can be estimated and used in the initial
plot of f(x), or for a numerical search of a small domain that
contains a solution.
When an equation has more than one root, a numerical
solution is obtained one root at a time.
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
The methods used for solving equations numerically can be
divided into two groups:
Bracketing methods
Open methods.
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
Bracketing methods
– In bracketing methods,
illustrated in Fig. 3-4, an
interval that includes the
solution is identified.
– By definition, the endpoints
of the interval are the upper
bound and lower bound of the
solution.
– Then, by using a numerical
scheme/method, the size of
the interval is successively
reduced until the distance
between the endpoints is less
than the desired accuracy of
the solution.
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
Open methods
In open methods, illustrated in
Fig. 3-5, an initial estimate (one
point) for the solution is
assumed.
The value of this initial guess for
the solution should be close to
the actual solution.
Then, by using a numerical
scheme/method, better (more
accurate) values for the solution
are calculated.
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Overview of approaches in solving equations numerically
Bracketing methods always converge to the solution.
Open methods are usually more efficient but sometimes
might not yield the solution.
We will describe several numerical methods for finding a root
of a single equation.
– Two bracketing methods:
• The Bisection method
• The Regula falsi method/Method of false position
– Two open methods:
• Newton’s method,
• Secant method
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