INTERPOLATION

Interpolation is the process of finding and evaluating P(x) = f(x0)[(x-x1)/( x0- x1)] + f(x1)[(x-x0)/( x1- x0)]
a function whose graph goes through a set of given points.
The points may arise as measurements in a physical
problem, or they may be obtained from a known functions,
with polynomials being the most commonly used class.
Engineers and Scientists commonly assume that
relationships between variables in a physical problem can be
approximately reproduced from data given by the problem.
Interpolation Methods
 Lagrange Polynomials
 Divided Differences
 Spline Interpolation
 Least-Squares Approximation
P(1.5)=(0.6200860)*[(1.5-1.6)/(1.3-1.6)] +
(0.4554022)*[(1.5-1.3)/(1.6-1.3)]
P(1.5)=0.5102968
Seatwork:
1. Based on example problem above, (a)What is
f(x) if x=1.1? (b)What is f(x) if x=2.0?
2. The upward velocity of a rocket is given as a
function of time in Table 1.
Table 1: Velocity as a function of time

LAGRANGE POLYNOMIALS T v(t)

In Lagrangian Polynomials, we assume that the given
data are exact and represent values of some unknown S m/s
function. If we desire to find a polynomial that passes through
the same points as our unknown function, we could set up a
system of equations involving the coefficients of the 0 0
polynomial.
For example, suppose we want to fit a cubic to these 10 227.04
data:
x f(x)____ 15 362.78
3.2 22
2.7 17.8
1.0 14.2 20 517.35
4.8 38.3
5.6 51.7 22.5 602.97

If x=3.0, what is f(x)? 30 901.67

First, we need to select four points to determine our
polynomial. (The maximum degree of the polynomial is
always one less than the number of points.) Suppose we Figure 2: Velocity vs. time data for the rocket
choose the first four points. If the cubic is ax3 + bx2 +cx + d, example
we can write four equations involving the unknown
coefficients a, b, c, and d:

When x=3.2 : a(3.2)3 + b(3.2)2 + c(3.2) + d = 22,

If x=2.7: a(2.7)3 + b(2.7)2 + c(2.7) + d = 17.8,
If x=1.0: a(1.0)3 + b(1.0)2 + c(1.0) + d = 14.2,
If x=4.8: a(4.8)3 + b(4.8)2 + c(4.8) + d = 38.3,

Solving these equations by the methods of the

previous chapter gives us the polynomial. We can then
estimate the values of the function at some value of x --- say
x=3.0 --- by substituting 3.0 for x in the polynomial.
For this example, the set of equations gives
a = -0.5275
b = 6.4952
c = -16.1177 Determine the value of the velocity at
d = 24.3499 t=16 seconds using a first order
and our polynomial is
-0.5275x3 + 6.4952x2 – 16.1177x + 24.3499 polynomial.
At x=3.0, the estimated value is 20.21

Table below lists the values of function at various points.

Compare the approximations to f(1.5) obtained by various
Lagrange polynomials.
x f(x)
1 0.7651977
X0 1.3 0.6200860
X1 1.6 0.4554022
1.9 0.2818186
2.2 0.1103623

What is f(x) if x=1.5?