Newton’s Method

We cannot always solve for the exact value of a solution to an equation.  If this is the case, we will need numerical methods to approximate the solution.

Procedure for Newton’s Method:

Suppose we wish to approximate a solution to the equation f(x) = 0.

Graphically, this means that we want the x-intercept of the graph of y = f(x).

The idea behind Newton's Method is to approximate the root (or zero, or solution) by a sequence of numbers. The limit of the sequence is the desired root.

 

Learn more about Newton's Method by reading the explanation below.

Newton’s Method


Practice: Apply Newton's Method in the following exercises.

Newton’s Method 1