Lecture # 1

Chapter 03.06: False-Position

Method of Solving a Nonlinear
Equation
Major: All Engineering Majors

Authors: Duc Nguyen

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Numerical Methods for STEM undergraduates

11/14/2011 http://numericalmethods.eng.usf.edu 5
 Introduction
f (x )
f ( x) = 0 (1)
In the Bisection method
f (xU )
f ( x L ) * f ( xU ) < 0 (2)

x L + xU
Exact root xr = (3)
xL 2
O xr xU x 1

6 f (x L ) Figure 1 False-Position Method

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 False-Position Method
Based on two similar triangles, shown in Figure 1,
one gets:
f ( xL ) f ( xU )
= (4)
xr − x L xr − xU
The signs for both sides of Eq. (4) is consistent, since:

f ( x L ) < 0; xr − x L > 0
f ( xU ) > 0; xr − xU < 0

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 From Eq. (4), one obtains
(xr − xL ) f (xU ) = (xr − xU ) f (xL )
xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU ) = xr { f ( x L ) − f (xU )}
The above equation can be solved to obtain the next
predicted root xr , as

xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU )
xr = (5)
f ( x L ) − f ( xU )
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 The above equation,
f ( xU ){x L − xU }
xr = xU − (6)
f ( x L ) − f (xU )

or
f (xL )
xr = x L − (7)
 f ( xU ) − f ( x L ) 
 
 xU − x L 
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 Step-By-Step False-Position
Algorithms
1. Choose x L and xU as two guesses for the root such
that
f ( x L ) f ( xU ) < 0
xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU )
2. Estimate the root, xm =
f (x L ) − f (xU )
3. Now check the following
(a) If f ( x L ) f ( xm ) < 0 , then the root lies between xL
and xm ; then x L = x L and xU = xm
(b) If f ( xL ) f ( xm ) > 0 , then the root lies between xm
10 and xU ; then xL = xm and xU =http://numericalmethods.eng.usf.edu
xU
 (c) If f ( xL ) f ( xm ) = 0 , then the root is xm .
Stop the algorithm if this is true.
4. Find the new estimate of the root
xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU )
xm =
f (x L ) − f (xU )
Find the absolute relative approximate error as
xmnew − xmold
∈a = new
× 100
xm
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 where
new
x m = estimated root from present iteration
old
x m = estimated root from previous iteration
−3
5. say ∈s = 10 = 0.001. If ∈a >∈s , then go to step 3,
else stop the algorithm.
Notes: The False-Position and Bisection algorithms are
quite similar. The only difference is the formula used to
calculate the new estimate of the root xm ,shown in steps
#2 and 4!
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 Example 1
The floating ball has a specific gravity of 0.6 and has a
radius of 5.5cm.
You are asked to find the depth to which the ball is
submerged when floating in water.
The equation that gives the depth x to which the ball is
submerged under water is given by
−4
x − 0.165 x + 3.993 × 10
3 2
=0
Use the false-position method of finding roots of
equations to find the depth x to which the ball is
submerged under water. Conduct three iterations to
estimate the root of the above equation. Find the
absolute relative approximate error at the end of each
iteration, and the number of significant digits at least
13 correct at the converged iteration. http://numericalmethods.eng.usf.edu
 Solution
From the physics of the problem
0 ≤ x ≤ 2R
0 ≤ x ≤ 2(0.055)
0 ≤ x ≤ 0.11

Figure 2 :
Floating ball x
problem water

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 Let us assume
x L = 0, xU = 0.11

f ( x L ) = f (0 ) = (0 ) − 0.165(0 ) + 3.993 × 10 −4 = 3.993 × 10 −4

3 2

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
f xU = f 0.11 = 0.11 − 0.165 0.11 + 3.993 × 10 −4 = −2.662 × 10 −4
3 2

Hence,

( )(
f ( x L ) f (xU ) = f (0 ) f (0.11) = 3.993 × 10 −4 − 2.662 × 10 −4 < 0 )
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 Iteration 1
xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU )
xm =
f (x L ) − f (xU )

=
(
0.11× 3.993 ×10 −4 − 0 × − 2.662 ×10 −4 )
(
3.993 ×10 −4 − − 2.662 ×10 −4 )
= 0.0660
f ( xm ) = f (0.0660 ) = (0.0660 ) − 0.165(0.0660 ) + 3.993 ×10 −4
3 2
( )
−5
= −3.1944 ×10
f (x L ) f (xm ) = f (0 ) f (0.0660) = (+ )(− ) < 0

16
x L = 0, xU = 0.0660 http://numericalmethods.eng.usf.edu
 Iteration 2
xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU )
xm =
f (x L ) − f (xU )

=
(
0.0660 × 3.993 ×10 −4 − 0 × − 3.1944 ×10 −5 )
(
3.993 ×10 −4 − − 3.1944 ×10 −5 )
= 0.0611
f (xm ) = f (0.0611) = (0.0611) − 0.165(0.0611) + 3.993 ×10 −4
3 2
( )
= 1.1320 ×10 −5
f ( x L ) f (xm ) = f (0 ) f (0.0611) = (+ )(+ ) > 0
Hence, x L = 0.0611, xU = 0.0660
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 0.0611 − 0.0660
∈a = × 100 ≅ 8%
0.0611
Iteration 3
xU f ( x L ) − x L f ( xU )
xm =
f (x L ) − f (xU )

=
(
0.0660 ×1.132 ×10 −5 − 0.0611× − 3.1944 ×10 −5 )
(
1.132 ×10 −5 − − 3.1944 ×10 −5 )
= 0.0624

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 f ( xm ) = −1.1313 × 10 −7

f (x L ) f (xm ) = f (0.0611) f (0.0624) = (+ )(− ) < 0

Hence,
x L = 0.0611, xU = 0.0624

0.0624 − 0.0611
∈a = ×100 ≅ 2.05%
0.0624

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 Table 1: Root of f ( x ) = x 3
− 0 . 165 x 2
+ 3 . 993 × 10 −4
=0
for False-Position Method.

Iteration xL xU xm ∈a % f ( xm )
1 0.0000 0.1100 0.0660 N/A -3.1944x10-5

2 0.0000 0.0660 0.0611 8.00 1.1320x10-5

3 0.0611 0.0660 0.0624 2.05 -1.1313x10-7

4 0.0611 0.0624 0.0632377619 0.02 -3.3471x10-10

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 ∈a ≤ 0.5 ×10 2−m
2− m
0.02 ≤ 0.5 ×10
2− m
0.04 ≤ 10
log(0.04) ≤ 2 − m
m ≤ 2 − log(0.04)
m ≤ 2 − (−1.3979)
m ≤ 3.3979
So, m = 3
The number of significant digits at least correct in the
estimated root of 0.062377619 at the end of 4th iteration
is 3.
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 References

1. S.C. Chapra, R.P. Canale, Numerical Methods for

Engineers, Fourth Edition, Mc-Graw Hill.

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 THE END

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