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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 original use of interpolation polynomials was to approximate values of important transcendental functions such as natural logarithm and trigonometric functions.Starting with a few accurately computed data points, the corresponding interpolation polynomial will approximate the function at an arbitrary nearby point.
For that purpose, the divided-difference formula and/or its x 0 point should be chosen so that the formula will use, for its linear term, the two data points between which the linear interpolation of interest would be done. The divided difference formulas are more versatile, useful in more kinds of problems.
This process yields p 0,4 (x), the value of the polynomial going through the n + 1 data points (x i, y i) at the point x. This algorithm needs O(n 2) floating point operations to interpolate a single point, and O(n 3) floating point operations to interpolate a polynomial of degree n.
In fact, all the finite-difference formulae are ill-conditioned [4] and due to cancellation will produce a value of zero if h is small enough. [5] If too large, the calculation of the slope of the secant line will be more accurately calculated, but the estimate of the slope of the tangent by using the secant could be worse. [6]
In numerical analysis, Hermite interpolation, named after Charles Hermite, is a method of polynomial interpolation, which generalizes Lagrange interpolation.Lagrange interpolation allows computing a polynomial of degree less than n that takes the same value at n given points as a given function.
In mathematical analysis, the mean value theorem for divided differences generalizes the mean value theorem to higher derivatives. [1] Statement of the theorem
Derivative Accuracy −5 −4 −3 −2 −1 0 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 −1/2: 0: 1/2: 4 1/12: −2/3: 0: 2/3: −1/12: 6 −1/60: 3/20: −3/4: 0: 3/4: −3/20: 1/60: 8 1/280 ...