Indian Institute of Technolgy Indore

Semester: Spring
Course: Numerical Methods (MA-204)
Tutorial-1

1. For the data (xi , fi ), i = 0, 1, 2, . . . , n, construct the Lagrange fundamental polynomials li (x) using the information that they satisfy the conditions li (xj ) = 0, for
i 6= j and = 1 for i = j.
2. Let f (x) = ln(1 + x), x0 = 1 and x1 = 1.1. Use linear interpolation to calculate
an approxi- mate value of f (1.04) and obtain a bound on the truncation error.
3. Determine an appropriate step size to use, in the construction of a table of f (x) =
(1 + x)6 on [0, 1]. The truncation error for linear interpolation is to be bounded
by 5 105 .
4. Determine the maximum step size that can be used in the tabulation of f (x) = ex
in [0, 1], so that the error in the linear interpolation will be less than 5104 . Find
also the step size if quadratic interpolation is used.
5. By considering the limit of the three point Lagrange interpolation formula relative
to x0 , x0 +  and x1 as  0, obtain the formula

f (x) =

(x x0 )(x x1 ) 0
(x x0 )2
(x1 x0 )(x + x1 2x0 )
f
(x
)+
f
(x
)+
f (x1 )+E(x),
0
0
(x1 x0 )2
(x1 x0 )
(x x0 )

where E(x) = 61 (x x0 )2 (x x1 )f 000 ().

6. Find the unique polynomial P (x) of degree 2 or less such that P (1) = 1, P (3) =
27, P (4) = 64. Using Lagrange interpolation formula, Newton-divided difference
formula and Evaluate P (1.5) in each of the cases.
7. Suppose f 0 (x) = n + 1 equally spaced points 0 = x0 < x1 < . . . , < xn = 1.
Determine n so that the truncation error will be less than 0.0001 in this interval.
8. If f (x) = eax , show that n f (x) = (eah 1)n eax .
9. Calculate the nth divided difference of f (x) = 1/x.
10. If f (x) = U (x)V (x), show that f [x0 , x1 ] = U [x0 ]V [x0 , x1 ] + U [x0 , x1 ]V [x1 ].
11. Prove the relations
(i) = .
(ii) + = / /.
Pn1 2
(iii)
k=0 fk = fn f0 .
(iv) (fi gi ) = fi gi + gi+1 fi .

(v) fi2 = (fi + fi+1 )fi .

(vi) (fi /gi ) = (gi fi fi gi )/gi gi+1 .
(vii) (1/fi ) = fi /(fi fi+1 ).
12. Use the Lagrange and the Newton-divided difference formulas to calculate f (3)
from the following table :
x
0 1
f (x) 1 14

2 4 5
15 5 6

6
19

13. In a computer program, quick access to the function 2x is needed, 0 x 1. A

table with step size h is stored into an array and the function values are calculated
by interpola- tion in this table.
(a) Which is the maximal step size to be used when function values are wanted
correct to 5 decimal places by linear interpolation ? (The precision of the
computer arithmetic is much better than so.)
(b) The same question when quadratic interpolation is used.
14. The graph of a function f is almost a parabolic segment attaining its extreme values in an interval (x0 , x2 ). The function values fi = f (xi ) are known at equidistant
abscissas x0 , x1 , x2 . The extreme value is searched. Use the quadratic interpolation to derive x coordi- nate of the extremum.