Taylor's Expansion: Breaking Down a Monster Equation

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Conceptually, Taylor's Expansion is a way to approximate a function using a sum of its derivatives evaluated at a specific point. In this case, the function v(y) is being approximated at the point x, with the first term being the value of v at x, the second term being the first derivative of v at x, and so on. The remainder term R(x,y) takes into account the higher order derivatives and their impact on the approximation.
  • #1
Somefantastik
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I thought I was familiar with Taylor's Expansion, and then this monster popped up:

[tex]v(y) = v(x) + \sum_{j=1}^{2} \frac{\partial v}{\partial dx_{j}}(x)(y_{j}-x_{j}) + R(x,y) [/tex]

where [tex] R(x,y) = \frac{1}{2} \sum_{i,j=1}^{2}\frac{\partial^2 v}{\partial x_{i} y_{j}}(\xi)(y_{i}-x_{i})(y_{j}-x_{j}) [/tex]

Can someone break this down for me?
 
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  • #2
One way to get it is to hold x2 fixed and get a the first couple of terms for the series in x1. Then for each term of this expansion, get the Taylor series around x2. The expression for R(x,y) is the 2-d analog of the remainder term for Taylor series.
 
  • #3
so when it's expanded, it's only expanded in one direction at a time...?
 
  • #4
Somefantastik said:
so when it's expanded, it's only expanded in one direction at a time...?

Not necessarily. What I suggested was a computational method.
 

1. What is Taylor's Expansion?

Taylor's Expansion, also known as the Taylor series, is a mathematical technique used to approximate a complicated function by breaking it down into simpler terms.

2. How is Taylor's Expansion used?

Taylor's Expansion is commonly used in calculus and physics to approximate complicated functions that are difficult or impossible to solve directly. It is also used in engineering and other fields to model and analyze complex systems.

3. What is the formula for Taylor's Expansion?

The general formula for Taylor's Expansion is: f(x) = f(a) + f'(a)(x-a) + f''(a)(x-a)^2 / 2! + f'''(a)(x-a)^3 / 3! + ..., where f(a) is the value of the function at the point a, and f'(a), f''(a), etc. are the derivatives of the function at point a.

4. What are the benefits of using Taylor's Expansion?

Taylor's Expansion allows us to approximate complicated functions with a high degree of accuracy, making it a useful tool in a variety of applications. It also helps us gain a better understanding of the behavior of functions and systems, and can be used to make predictions and solve problems that would otherwise be difficult.

5. Are there any limitations to using Taylor's Expansion?

While Taylor's Expansion is a powerful tool, it is not suitable for all functions. It can only approximate functions that are "well-behaved," meaning they are continuous and have a finite number of derivatives at the point of expansion. Additionally, the accuracy of the approximation decreases as the distance from the point of expansion increases.

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