NUMERICAL METHODS

LECTURE 3
SOLUTION OF LINEAR & NONLINEAR
EQUATION (2):

The False-Position Method

OPEN METHODS:

Simple Fixed-point Iteration

The Newton-Raphson Method

THE FALSE-POSITION METHOD

 A shortcoming of the bisection method is that,

in dividing the interval from xl to xu into equal
halves, no account is taken of the magnitudes
of f(xl) and f(xu).
 For example, if f(xl) is much closer to zero
than f(xu), it is likely that the root is closer to
xl than to xu.
 An alternative method that exploits this
graphical insight is to join f(xl) and f(xu),by a
straight line.
 THE FALSE-POSITION METHOD
 The intersection of this line with the x axis
represents an improved estimate of the root.

 The fact that the replacement of the curve by a

straight line gives a “false position” of the root
is the origin of the name, method of false
position, or in Latin, regula falsi.

 It is also called the linear interpolation method.

 THE FALSE-POSITION METHOD
 Using similar triangles, the intersection of the
straight line with the x axis can be estimated as
 This is the false-position formula.

 The value of xr computed with Eq. (5.7) then replaces whichever of the two
initial guesses, xl or xu , yields a function value with the same sign as f(xr).

 In this way, the values of xl and xu always bracket the true root.

 The process is repeated until the root is estimated adequately.

3.32
which has true and approximate relative errors of 0.09 and
0.78 percent. Additional iterations can be performed to
refine the estimate of the roots.
Comparison of the relative errors of the
bisection vs the false position method
• The error for false position decreases much
faster than for bisection because of the
more efficient scheme for root location in
the false-position method.
Pitfalls of the False-Position Method
• Although the false-position method would seem to always be the
bracketing method of preference, there are cases where it performs
poorly.
• In fact, as in the following example, there are certain cases where
bisection yields superior results.
• After 5 iterations, the true error has only
been reduced to about 59 percent.

• In addition, note that 𝜀𝑎 < 𝜀𝑡 Thus, the

approximate error is misleading.

• Insight into these results can be gained by

examining a plot of the function.
• The curve violates the premise upon which
false position was based—that is, if f(xl) is
much closer to zero than f(xu),then the
root is closer to xl than to xu.

• Because of the shape of the present

function, the opposite is true.
 OPEN METHODS
 For the bracketing methods, the root is
located within an interval prescribed by
a lower and an upper bound.
 Repeated application of these methods
always results in closer estimates of
the true value of the root (see Fig. (a)).
 Such methods are said to be
convergent because they move closer
to the truth as the computation
progresses.
 In contrast, the open methods
described in this chapter are
based on formulas that require
only a single starting value of x or
two starting values that do not
necessarily bracket the root.
 As such, they sometimes diverge
or move away from the true root
as the computation progresses.
 However, when the open methods
converge, they usually do so much
more quickly than the bracketing
methods.
 SIMPLE FIXED-POINT ITERATION
 Fixed-point iteration (one-point iteration or successive substitution)
 Rearrange the function f(x) = 0 so that x is on the left-hand side of the equation
• The utility of Eq. (6.1) is that it provides a formula to predict a new value
of x as a function of an old value of x.
• Thus, given an initial guess at the root xi, Eq. (6.1) can be used to compute
a new estimate xi+1 as expressed by the iterative formula

• The approximate error for this equation can be determined using the
error estimator
 Thus, each iteration brings
the estimate closer to the
true value of the root:
0.56714329.
 Notice that the true percent
relative error for each
iteration proportional (by a
factor of about 0.5 to 0.6) to
the error from the previous
iteration.
 This property, called linear
convergence, is characteristic
of fixed-point iteration.
Convergence occurs if the magnitude of the slope of g(x)
is less than the slope of the line f(x) = x.
divergence
 THE NEWTON-RAPHSON METHOD

 Perhaps the most widely used of all

root-locating formulas is the
Newton-Raphson equation.
 If the initial guess at the root is xi, a
tangent can be extended from the
point [xi, f(xi)].
 The point where this tangent
crosses the x axis usually represents
an improved estimate of the root.
 The Newton-Raphson method can
be derived on the basis of this
geometrical interpretation.
 The first derivative at x is equivalent
to the slope.
TUGAS KELOMPOK: CASE STUDY