CHAPTER IV

POLYNOMIAL INTERPOLATION AND SPLINES DATA

Exercises

(Extracted from textbook of N. Nassif and D. Fayyad )

Polynomial Interpolation
1. Given the data
D4 = {(1, −1), (2, −1/3), (2.5, 3/32), (3, 4/3), (4, 25)}
(a) Construct the divided difference table.
(b) Use the ”best” quadratic then cubic Newton’s interpolating polynomial, to find
an approximation to f (2.9).
2. Write Newton’s interpolating polynomial for the data shown:
{(0, 7), (2, 11), (3, 28), (4, 63)}

3. Using a difference table, derive the polynomial of least degree that assumes the values
2, 14, 4, 2 and 2 respectively for x = −2, −1, 0, 1 and 2. Use that result, to find a
polynomial that takes the values shown and has at x = 3 the value 10.
4. The polynomial p(x) = x4 − x3 + x2 − x + 1 satisfies the following set of data
i xi yi
0 −2 31
1 −1 5
2 0 1
3 1 1
4 2 11
5 3 61
Find a polynomial q that takes these values:
i xi yi
0 −2 31
1 −1 5
2 0 1
3 1 1
4 2 11
5 3 30

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5. Construct a divided difference (or difference) table based on the two given sets of data
in the preceding exercise, then use Newton’s polynomials of all orders (1,2, 3, 4) to
approximate f (2.5), in each case.

6. Create the table of all Neville’s polynomials in P4 satisfying the following set of data:

i xi yi
0 1.0 −1.5
1 2.0 −0.5
2 2.5 0.0
3 3.0 0.5
4 4.0 1.5

7. Determine by two methods the polynomial of degree 2 or less whose graph passes
through the points (0, 1.1), (1, 2), and (2, 4.2). Verify that they are the same.

8. Let f (x) = x3 + 2x2 + x + 1. Find the polynomial of degree 4 that interpolates the
values of f at x = −2, −1, 0, 1, 2. Find the polynomial of degree 2 that interpolates
the values of f at x = −1, 0, 1.

9. The following data are associated with 0-th order Bessel’s function of the first kind.

i xi yi
0 1.0 0.7651977
1 1.3 0.6200860
2 1.6 0.4554022
3 1.9 0.2818186
4 2.2 0.1103623

Determine by two methods the polynomial p1234 (x) .

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 Spline Interpolation

10. Determine whether each of the following functions is a first degree spline, and plot its
graph.

(a) 
 x ; −1 ≤ x ≤ 0
S(x) = 1 − x; 0 ≤ x < 1
2x − 2 ; 1 ≤ x ≤ 2


(b) 
 x ; −1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5
S(x) = 0.5x + 2(x − 0.5) ; 0.5 ≤ x ≤ 2
x + 1.5 ; 2 ≤ x ≤ 4


11. Determine the linear spline function s(x) interpolating the set of data D3 and plot its
graph. Interpolate f (2.4).

D3 = {(0, 1); (1.5, 3); (2, 5); (3, 2)}

12. Is S(x) = |x| a first degree spline ? Why or why not ?

13. Find the natural quadratic spline interpolant for the following data

(a)
x y
−1 2
0 1
1/2 0
1 1
2 2
5/2 3
(b)
x y
1 2
2 1
5/2 0
3 1
4 3

14. Are these functions quadratic splines ? Explain why or why not ?Plot their graphs.

(a) 
−x2 ; 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
Q(x) =
x ; 0 ≤ x ≤ 100

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 (b) 
 x ; −50 ≤ x ≤ 1
Q(x) = x2 ; 1 ≤ x ≤ 2
4 ; 2 ≤ x ≤ 50


15. Determine a quadratic spline that interpolates the data f (0) = 0, f (1) = 1, f (2) = 2,
and satisfiea s0 (0) = 2.

16. Do there exist a,b, c and d so that the function

x ; 1 ≤ x ≤ 10


is a natural cubic spline function ?

17. Do there exist coefficients for which the function

is a natural cubic spline function ? Why or why not ?

18. Determine the natural cubic spline that interpolates the function f (x) = x6 over the
interval [0, 2] using nodes 0, 1 and 2 .

19. Find the natural cubic spline interpolant for this table

x y
1 0
2 1
3 0
4 1
5 0

20. Consider the following set of data generated using the function f (x) = xcos x − 2x2 +
3x − 1
x y
0.1 −0.620499
0.2 −0.283986
0.3 +0.006600
0.4 +0.248424

(a) Construct the natural cubic spline for the data above

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 (b) Use the cubic spline constructed above to approximate f (0.25 and f 0 (0.25), and
calculate the absolute error.

21. Give an example of a cubic spline with nodes 0, 1, 2, and 3 that is quadratic in [0, 1],
cubic in [1, 2], and quadratic in [2, 3].

22. Give an example of a cubic spline with nodes 0, 1, 2, and 3 that is linear in [0, 1], but
of degree 3 in the other two intervals.

23. List all the ways in which the following functions fail to be natural cubic splines:

(a) 
 x + 1 ; −2 ≤ x ≤ −1
3
S(x) = x − 2x + 1 ; −1 ≤ x ≤ 1
x − 1; 1 ≤ x ≤ 2


(b) 
x3 + x − 1 ; −1 ≤ x ≤ 0
S(x) =
x3 − x − 1 ; 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
24. Determine the coefficients so that the function

x2 + x3 ; 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
S(x) =
a + bx + cx2 + dx3 ; 1 ≤ x ≤ 2

is a cubic spline that has the property S1000 (x) = 12

25. Use the data points (0, 1), (1, e), (2, e2 ), (3, e3 ) to form a natural cubic spline that ap-
proximates f (x) = ex .
R3
26. Use the cubic spline obtained in the preceding exercise, to approximate 0 ex dx. What
is the relative error in this approximation ?

27. Construct a natural cubic spline to approximate f (x) = e−x based on the nodes x =
0, 0.25, 0.75 and 1. Integrate the spline over the interval [0, 1] and compare the results
R 1 −x
to 0 e dx. Use the derivatives of the spline to approximate f 0 (0.5) and f ”(0.5).
Compare the approximations to the actual values.

28. How many additional conditions are needed to specify uniquely a spline of degree 4
over n knots ?

29. Let S be a cubic spline that has knots t0 < t1 < ... < tn . Suppose that on the 2
intervals [t0 , t1 ] and [t2 , t3 ], S reduces to linear polynomials. What can be said of S on
[t1 , t2 ]?