Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A finite difference can be central, forward or backward. Central finite difference. This table contains the coefficients of the central differences, ...
In an analogous way, one can obtain finite difference approximations to higher order derivatives and differential operators. For example, by using the above central difference formula for f ′(x + h / 2 ) and f ′(x − h / 2 ) and applying a central difference formula for the derivative of f ′ at x, we obtain the central difference approximation of the second derivative of f:
In mathematics, divided differences is an algorithm, historically used for computing tables of logarithms and trigonometric functions. [citation needed] Charles Babbage's difference engine, an early mechanical calculator, was designed to use this algorithm in its operation. [1] Divided differences is a recursive division process.
The difference between two points, themselves, is known as their Delta (ΔP), as is the difference in their function result, the particular notation being determined by the direction of formation: Forward difference: ΔF(P) = F(P + ΔP) − F(P); Central difference: δF(P) = F(P + 1 / 2 ΔP) − F(P − 1 / 2 ΔP);
For example, consider the ordinary differential equation ′ = + The Euler method for solving this equation uses the finite difference quotient (+) ′ to approximate the differential equation by first substituting it for u'(x) then applying a little algebra (multiplying both sides by h, and then adding u(x) to both sides) to get (+) + (() +).
An illustration of the five-point stencil in one and two dimensions (top, and bottom, respectively). In numerical analysis, given a square grid in one or two dimensions, the five-point stencil of a point in the grid is a stencil made up of the point itself together with its four "neighbors".
Upgrade to a faster, more secure version of a supported browser. It's free and it only takes a few moments:
A difference engine is an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. It was designed in the 1820s, and was created by Charles Babbage . The name difference engine is derived from the method of finite differences , a way to interpolate or tabulate functions by using a small set of polynomial co-efficients.