Assignment 5: Interpolation

1. What is the difference between ‘curve fitting’ and ‘interpolation.’

2. Find f (0) from the following data:

x: -1 1 2 4
f 0 2 9 65

3. Determine the Lagrangian coefficient functions, in explicit polynomial form, relative to

the ordinates of f (x) at the four points x = R−2, −1, 1, and 2. Use the results to obtain
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approximate expressions for f (0), f 0 (0), and −2 f (x)dx in terms of those ordinates.

4. Use the Lagrange interpolation formula to calculate approximate values of f (x) when
x = 1.1300, 1.1500, 1.1700, and 1.1900 from the following rounded data:

x: 1.1275 1.1503 1.1735 1.1972

f: 0.11971 0.13957 0.15931 0.17902

5. Construct the forward and backward difference tables for the data
x: -1 0 1 2
f -8 3 1 12

6. Establish the following equalities:

(a) δ = ∇(1 − ∆)−1/2 ,

∆ ∇
(b) ∆ + ∇ = ∇ − ∆
(c) ∆ − ∇ = −∆∇
(d) (∆ + ∇)/2 = µδ.

7. For the following data, calculate the differences and obtain the Newton’s forward and
backward difference interpolation polynomials. Are these polynomials different? Interpo-
late at x = 0.25 and x = 0.35.
x: 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
f: 1.40 1.56 1.76 2.00 2.28

8. (inverse interpolation) The process of finding x for given f (x). It helps in solving f (x).
Find a zero of f (x) using the following information about f :
x: 0 1 2 3
f: -342 -218 386 1854
[Hint: Treat f data as x data and vice-versa for the process of interpolation and evaluate
the interpolating polynomial at zero.]

9. Find the interpolating polynomial of third degree with the four interpolation points
−1, 0, 1, 2 for the function f (x) := x4 .

10. Using Gauss’s forward difference formula, find f (32), if f (25) = 0.2707, f (30) = 0.3027,
f (35) = 0.3386 and f (40) = 0.3794.

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 √ √
11. √
Using Gauss’s backward
√ formula find the √
value of 12525 given that
√ 12500 = 111.8034,
12510 = 111.8481, 12520 = 111.8928, 12530 = 111.9375 and 12540 = 111.9822.

12. Using Stirling’s formula, find cos(0.17) for

x: 0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30
cos(x): 1 0.9988 0.9950 0.9888 0.9801 0.9689 0.9553

13. Using Bessel’s formula find y(5) given that

y(0) = 14.27, y(4) = 15.81, y(8) = 17.72 and y(12) = 19.96.

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