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8 views3 pages

FM VA Tasks

Uploaded by

xinming.wong
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FM VA Task

Xin Ming, Jordan and Roland


July 2024

1 Introduction
• In this document, we will be trying to integrate ideas learnt in H2 Math
and H2 Further Math regarding Polynomials (under curve skecthing) and
Numerical methods, respectively.
• We will attempt to teach you the concepts of the Taylor series, how to use
it to approximate values of functions, as well as how it works.

2 Recall:
2.1 What are polynomials?
• Polynomials are functions with variable x and degree n, in the form:

P (x) = an xn + an−1 xn−1 + · · · + a2 x2 + a1 x + a0 ,

where

an , an−1 , · · · , a2 , a1 , a0 ∈ R

• For example, a quadratic polynomial has the form ax2 + bx + c,


where a, b, c ∈ R, a ̸= 0

2.2 What is Numerical Methods?


• We use numerical methods in H2 Further Math to learn how to approxi-
mate roots and integrals using different methods.
• One example is using the Newton-Rhapson Method, which uses the tan-
gent of a curve to get better approximates of its root.
• We use the formula to estimate the root of a curve:

1
f (xn )
xn+1 = xn − f ′ (xn )

• We can also use Numerical Methods to approximate integrals of a function


• One example is the Simpson’s Rule, where the integral of a functions can
be estimated as follows:

Z b
h
f (x)dx ≈ [f (x0 ) + 4f (x1 ) + 2f (x2 ) + · · · + 2f (xn−2 ) + 4f (xn−1 ) + f (xn )]
a 3
.
where
b−a
h= , f (x0 ) = a, f (xn ) = b , f (xn+1 ) = f (xn ) + h and n ∈ Z+ \{0}
n
• With these background knowledge, we will be able to discuss what a Taylor
Series is in the next section.

3 What is a Taylor Series?


3.1 Definition:
• A Taylor series is an infinite sum of terms that are expressed in terms of
the function’s derivatives at a single point
• The Taylor series of a real or complex-valued function f(x), that is infinitely
differentiable at a real or complex number a, is the power series
∞
f ′(x) f ′′(x) f ′′′(x) X f (n) (a)
f (a)+ (x−a)+ (x−a)2 + (x−a)3 +· · · = (x−a)n
1! 2! 3! n=0
n!

where
a∈R

• Note: Infinitely Differentiable means that the function has derivatives of


all orders (implies that all of its derivatives are continuous)

3.2 How to find the Taylor Series of a function?


• For example, lets find the Taylor Series expansion of f (x) = ex :

2
• Recall that
d x
(e ) = ex .
dx

d(n) x
Hence, (e ) = ex
dx(n)
• As a result, the Taylor series expansion of ex about the point x=a, where
a ∈ R is:
∞
ea ea X ea
f (a) = ea + ea (x − a) + (x − a)n + (x − a)3 + · · · = (x − a)n
2 6 n=0
n!

4 Sources and References


• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor series
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoothness

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