The Newton-Raphson method is a powerful iterative technique used to find successively better approximations of the roots (or zeros) of a real-valued function. The basic idea is to start with an initial guess and refine this guess using the formula:
where is the function for which we want to find the root, and is its derivative. The method assumes that the function is well-behaved (i.e., continuous and differentiable) near the root. The convergence of the Newton-Raphson method can be very rapid if the initial guess is close to the actual root, often doubling the number of correct digits with each iteration. However, it is important to note that the method can fail to converge or lead to incorrect results if the initial guess is not chosen wisely or if the function has inflection points or local minima/maxima near the root.
Start your personalized study experience with acemate today. Sign up for free and find summaries and mock exams for your university.