Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The finite difference method relies on discretizing a function on a grid. To use a finite difference method to approximate the solution to a problem, one must first discretize the problem's domain. This is usually done by dividing the domain into a uniform grid (see image).
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:
The classical finite-difference approximations for numerical differentiation are ill-conditioned. However, if f {\displaystyle f} is a holomorphic function , real-valued on the real line, which can be evaluated at points in the complex plane near x {\displaystyle x} , then there are stable methods.
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".
Backward finite difference [ edit ] To get the coefficients of the backward approximations from those of the forward ones, give all odd derivatives listed in the table in the previous section the opposite sign, whereas for even derivatives the signs stay the same.
Because of this, different methods need to be used to solve BVPs. For example, the shooting method (and its variants) or global methods like finite differences, [3] Galerkin methods, [4] or collocation methods are appropriate for that class of problems. The Picard–Lindelöf theorem states that there is a unique solution, provided f is ...
The Crank–Nicolson stencil for a 1D problem. The Crank–Nicolson method is based on the trapezoidal rule, giving second-order convergence in time.For linear equations, the trapezoidal rule is equivalent to the implicit midpoint method [citation needed] —the simplest example of a Gauss–Legendre implicit Runge–Kutta method—which also has the property of being a geometric integrator.
The compact finite difference formulation, or Hermitian formulation, is a numerical method to compute finite difference approximations.