WTW 164

Theme 6: Approximation of
functions by polynomials
Dr HR (Maya) Thackeray
<maya.thackeray@up.ac.za>
Approximation of functions by polynomials
The factorial of a nonnegative integer n is the number n! defined as follows: 0!
= 1, 1! = 1, 2! = 2, 3! = 6, 4! = 24, 5! = 120, 6! = 720, …, n! = 1.2.3. … .n.
Suppose that a (one-variable) function f has n derivatives at some real number
a. The nth-degree Taylor polynomial of f at a is
Tn(x) = f(a) + f’(a).(x – a) + (x – a)2 + … + (x – a)n.
The nth-degree Maclaurin polynomial of f is the nth-degree Taylor polynomial
of f at 0, that is,
Mn(x) = f(0) + f’(0).x + x2 + … + xn.
“If x is close to a, then Tn(x) is close to f(x).”
“If x is close to 0, then Mn(x) is close to f(x).”
Questions (page 1)
• Find the 6th-degree Maclaurin polynomial of cos x.
f(x) = cos x f(0) = 1
f’(x) = –sin x f’(0) = 0
f’’(x) = –cos x f’’(0) = –1
f’’’(x) = sin x f’’’(0) = 0
f(4) (x) = cos x f(4) (0) = 1
f(5) (x) = –sin x f(5) (0) = 0
f(6) (x) = –cos x f(6) (0) = –1
M6(x) = 1 – x2/2! + x4/4! – x6/6!.
If x = 0,1, then cos 0,1 is approximately M6(0,1), which is
1 – (1/2!)(0,1)2 + (1/4!)(0,1)4 – (1/6!)(0,1)6.
(For sin x, we have M6(x) = x – x3/3! + x5/5!.)
Questions (page 2)
Find the 3rd-degree Taylor polynomial of x5/2 at x = 4.
Use that polynomial to estimate (4,2)5/2.
f(x) = x5/2 f(4) = 32
f’(x) = (5/2)x3/2 f’(4) = 20
f’’(x) = (15/4)x1/2 f’’(4) = 15/2
f’’’(x) = (15/8)x–1/2 f’’’(4) = 15/16
T3(x) = 32 + 20(x – 4) + (15/4)(x – 4)2 + (5/32)(x – 4)3.
(4,2)5/2 is approximately T3(4,2) = 32 + 20(0,2) + (15/4)(0,2)2 + (5/32)(0,2)3
= 32 + 4 + (15/4)(0,04) + (5/32)(0,008)
= 32 + 4 + 0,15 + 0,00125 = 36,15125.
(We have (4,2)5/2 = 36,1512423…; the estimate is correct to within 1 part in a million.)