Bracketing

Methods
hg@2012 1
 ROOTS OF EQUATIONS

Bisection method
Bracketing Methods
False Position Method

Simple fixed point iteration

Roots of Newton Raphson

Equations
Open Methods
Secant
System of Nonlinear
Equations
Modified Newton Raphson
Roots of polynomials

hg@2012
Muller Method 2
 ROOTS OF EQUATIONS

• Root of an equation: is the value of the equation variable which

make the equations = 0.0

 b  b 2
 4ac
ax  bx  c  0  x 
2

2a

• But

ax 5  bx 4  cx3  dx 2  ex  f  0  x  ?
sin x  x  0  x  ?

hg@2012 3
 ROOTS OF EQUATIONS

• Non-computer methods:
- Closed form solution (not always available)
- Graphical solution (inaccurate)

• Numerical systematic methods suitable for

computers

hg@2012 4
 Graphical Solution

• Plot the function f(x)

f(x)

roots

x
f(x)=0 f(x)=0

• The roots exist where f(x) crosses the x-axis.

hg@2012 5
 Graphical Solution: Example
c
mg  t
• The parachutist velocity is v  (1  e m
)
c
• What is the drag coefficient c needed to reach a velocity of
40 m/s if m=68.1 kg, t =10 s, g= 9.8 m/s2

c
mg  t
f (c)  (1  e )  v
m
c
667.38
f (c)  (1  e 0.146843c )  40
c
Check: f (14.75) = 0.059 ~ 0.0
v hg@2012
(c=14.75) = 40.06 ~ 40 m/s 6
 Numerical Systematic Methods
I. Bracketing Methods

f(x) No roots or even f(x)

Odd number of roots
number of roots
f(xl)=+ve f(xl)=+ve
roots roots
f(xu)=+ve
x x
xl xu f(xu)=-ve
xl xu

hg@2012 7
 Bracketing Methods (cont.)

• Two initial guesses (xl and xu) are required for the root
which bracket the root (s).
• If one root of a real and continuous function, f(x)=0,
is bounded by values xl , xu then f(xl).f(xu) <0.

(The function changes sign on opposite sides of the root)

hg@2012 8
 Special
Cases

hg@2012 9
Effect of computer scale
resolution

hg@2012 10
 Bracketing Methods
1. Bisection Method
• Generally, if f(x) is real and continuous in the interval xl to xu

and f (xl).f(xu)<0, then there is at least one real root between

xl and xu to this function.

• The interval at which the function changes sign is located.

Then the interval is divided in half with the root lies in the
midpoint of the subinterval. This process is repeated to
obtained refined estimates.

hg@2012 11
 f(x)
Step 1: Choose lower xl and upper xu xr = ( xl + xu )/2
guesses for the root such that:
f(xu)
f(xl).f(xu)<0
Step 2: The root estimate is:
xr = ( xl + xu )/2 xl xr1 xu
x

f(xr1) f(xu)
Step 3: Subdivide the interval according to:
– If (f(xl).f(xr)<0) the root lies in the f(x)
(f(xl).f(xr)<0): xu = xr
lower subinterval; xu = xr and go to xr = ( xl + xu )/2

step 2. f(xu)
– If (f(xl).f(xr)>0) the root lies in the
f(xr2)
upper subinterval; xl = xr and go to
xl xu
step 2. x
xr2
f(xu)
– If (f(xl).f(xr)=0) the root is xr and stop
hg@2012 12
 Bisection Method - Termination Criteria

Approximate relative Error :

True relaive Error : X rn  X rn 1
ea  �100%
X true  X approximat e Xr n
et  100%
X true Xu X l
ea  �100% (Bisection)
Xu X l

• For the Bisection Method ea > et

• The computation is terminated when ea
becomes less than a certain criterion (ea < es)
hg@2012 13
 Bisection method: Example
c
• The parachutist velocity is mg  t
v (1  e ) m

• c reach a velocity of 40
What is the drag coefficient c needed to

m/s if m = 68.1 kg, t = 10 s, g= 9.8 m/s2

f(c)
c
mg  t
f (c )  (1  e )  v
m
c
667.38
f (c )  (1  e 0.146843c )  40
c
c

hg@2012 14
 f(x)
1. Assume xl =12 and xu=16
f(xl)=6.067 and f(xu)=-2.269
mg  t
c 6.067
f (c)  (1  e m )  v
c
2. The root: xr=(xl+xu)/2= 14 f (c) 
667.38
(1  e 0.146843c )  40
c
1.569
3. Check f(12).f(14) = 6.067•1.569=9.517 >0;
x
the root lies between 14 and 16. 12 14 16
-2.269

4. Set xl = 14 and xu=16, thus the new root

f(x)
xr=(14+ 16)/2= 15 (f(12).f(14)>0): xl = 14

5. Check f(14).f(15) = 1.569•-0.425= -0.666 <0;

the root lies bet. 14 and 15.

1.569
6. Set xl = 14 and xu=15, thus the new root 15
x
xr=(14+ 15)/2= 14.5 14 16
-0.425 -2.269
hg@2012 15
and so on…...
 Bisection method: Example
• In the previous example, if the stopping criterion is et =
0.5%; what is the root?
Iter. Xl Xu Xr e a% e t%
1 12 16 14 5.279 --
2 14 16 15 6.667 1.487
3 14 15 14.5 3.448 1.896
4 14.5 15 14.75 1.695 1.204
5 14.75 15 14.875 0.84 0.641
6 14.74 14.875 14.813 0.422 0.291
Approximate relative Error :
n 1
True relaive Error :
X n
X
ea  r r
�100% X true  X approximat e
X rn et  16
100%
hg@2012
X true
Bisection method

hg@2012 17
 Flow Chart –Bisection
Start

Input: xl , xu , es, maxi

False f(xl). f(xu)<0

i=0
ea=1.1es

while False
ea> es &
i <maxi
Print: xr , f(xr ) ,ea , i

xu  x r
xr 
2
i  i  1 hg@2012 Stop 18
 xu+xl =0

True xu  x l
ea  100%
xu  x l

Test=f(xl). f(xr)

True
Test=0 ea=0.0

True
Test<0 xu=xr

False
xl=xr

hg@2012 19
 Bracketing Methods
2. False-position Method
• The bisection method divides the interval xl to xu in
half not accounting for the magnitudes of f(xl) and
f(xu). For example if f(xl) is closer to zero than f(xu),
then it is more likely that the root will be closer to
f(xl).
• False position method is an alternative approach
where f(xl) and f(xu) are joined by a straight line; the
intersection of which with the x-axis represents and
improved estimate of the root.
hg@2012 20
 2. False-position Method
• False position method is an
alternative approach where
f(xl) and f(xu) are joined by
a straight line; the
intersection of which with
the x-axis represents and
improved estimate of the
root.

hg@2012 21
False-position Method -Procedure
f(x)

f(xu)

xl xr xu
x
f(xl) f(xr)

f ( xl ) f ( xu )

x r  xl x r  xu
f ( xu )( xl  xu )
x r  xu 
f ( xl )  f ( xu )
hg@2012 22
 False-position Method -Procedure
Step 1: Choose lower xl and upper xu guesses for the
root such that: f(xl).f(xu)<0
Step 2: The root estimate is:
f ( x u )( x l  x u )
xr  xu 
f ( xl )  f ( xu )

Step 3: Subdivide the interval according to:

– If (f(xl).f(xr)<0) the root lies in the lower
subinterval; xu = xr and go to step 2.
– If (f(xl).f(xr)>0) the root lies in the upper
subinterval; xl = xr and go to step 2.
– If (f(xl).f(xr)=0) the root is xr and stop
hg@2012 23
 False position method: Example
c
• The parachutist velocity is v  mg (1  e )  t
m
c
• What is the drag coefficient c needed to reach a
velocity of 40 m/s if m =68.1 kg, t =10 s, g= 9.8 m/s2
f(c)
c
mg  t
f (c)  (1  e )  v
m
c
667.38 0.146843c
f (c)  (1  e )  40
c
c

hg@2012 24
False position method: Example
f(x)
1. Assume xl = 12 and xu=16
f(xl)= 6.067 and f(xu)= -2.269 6.067

f ( x u )( x l  x u )
xr  xu 
2. The root: xr=14.9113 f ( xl )  f ( xu )
14.91
x
f(12) . f(14.9113) = -1.5426 < 0; 12 16

-2.269
3. The root lies bet. 12 and 14.9113.
4. Assume xl = 12 and xu=14.9113, f(xl)=6.067 and
f(xu)=-0.2543
5. The new root xr= 14.7942
6. This has an approximate error of 0.79%
hg@2012 25
False position method: Example

hg@2012 26
Flow Chart –False Position
Start

Input: xl , x0 , es, maxi

False f(xl). f(xu)<0

i=0
ea=1.1es

while False
ea> es &
i <maxi
Print: xr , f(xr ) ,ea , i
f (x u )(x l  x u )
x r  xu 
f (x l )  f (x u )
i  i 1 hg@2012
Stop 27
 i=1
or
xr=0

True x r  x r0
ea  100%
xr

Test=f(xl). f(xr)

True
Test=0 ea=0.0

True
Test<0 xu=xr
xr0=xr
False
xl=xr
xr0=xr
hg@2012 28
False Position Method-Example 2

hg@2012 29
False Position Method - Example 2

hg@2012 30
 Pitfalls of the False Position Method
• Although a method such as false position is often superior to
bisection, there are some cases (when function has significant
curvature that violate this general conclusion.

• In such cases, the approximate error might be misleading and

the results should always be checked by substituting the root
estimate into the original equation and determining whether
the result is close to zero.

• major weakness of the false-position method: its one

sidedness That is, as iterations are proceeding, one of the
bracketing points will tend stay fixed which lead to poor
convergence.
hg@2012 31