Newton–Raphson method - Finite difference method

In summary, the author is discussing how to approximate a denominator term in a Newton-Raphson equation. They state that using Central Difference will get faster convergence than using the analytical version of the equation.
  • #1
Excom
61
0
Hi

I am trying to solve a nonlinear differential equation with the use of the finite difference method and the Newton-Raphson method. Is there anyone that knows where I can find some literature about the subject?

I am familiar with the use of the finite difference method, when solving linear differential equations. It is the Newton-Raphson method when using the finite difference method that is new for me.

Thanks in advance
 
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  • #2
Hello Excom,

finite difference methods (simple one-step methods such as Euler, Trapezoid, Midpoint, or more complex multi-step methods like the Adams' families, or non-linear methods such as Runge-Kutta, etc etc) can ALL be used to solve both linear and non-linear ordinary differential equations (obviously depending on the kind of differential system there are methods that will perform better than others..) but they're all used for solving a general IVP of the form:

[tex]

\left. \begin{array}{l}
\frac {dy} {dx} = f(x,y) \\
y( x_{0} ) = y_{0}
\end{array} \right\} \mbox{ze IVP :p}

[/tex]

(which may be a scalar equation or a system of equations), regardless of whether f is linear or not.

Newton-Raphson is for solving non-linear algebraic equations, not differential equations. You will have to use Newton-Raphson (or any other technique for solving non-linear equations) within your finite difference method if the said method is implicit, that is, to solve for the current time-step of the solution as a function of the values at previous time-steps. For example, Adams-Moulton methods are implicit so you will have to solve a non-linear algebraic equation (or system of equations) at each time-step. . . but Forward Euler or Trapezoid or even Runge-Kutta or Adams-Bashforth are all explicit difference methods, and there's no need to solve non-linear equations within the method, so no need for Newton-Raphson :)

If you're still interested in Newton-Raphson, there are loads of resources on the net, just search on google:) eg one link I found:
http://www.math.ubc.ca/~clarkson/Newtonmethod.pdf"

Hope I could be of help, good luck with your non-linear differential equation! xD
 
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  • #3
Tanks for your help
 
  • #4
please give me
 
  • #5
In my case, you can approximate the denominator term,
f'(x)
with a forward, backward, or central difference.

So, just to elaborate, if you have,
f(x) = x^2
and,
f(x+h) = (x+h)^2
f(x-h) = (x-h)^2
for some small h (gridspace)

Then, using Central Difference your Newton-Raphson equation becomes,
x[i+1] = x - f(x)/f'(x)
= x - f(x) / ( (f(x+h)-f(x-h) )/(2*h) )
= x - x^2/( ( (x+h)^2 - (x-h)^2 ) / (2*h) )

For other example, e.g. f(x) = x^4 + x^3 + x + 5, I'm getting faster convergence via the finite difference version of f'(x) than using the analytical version of it.

I have not encounter any reference for this, but I don't see anything wrong with this.

All the best! :)
 
  • #6
Take a look at this I don't know if it can help you :
www.firavia.com/Newton.pdf[/URL]
 
Last edited by a moderator:

1. What is the Newton-Raphson method?

The Newton-Raphson method is an iterative numerical method used to find the roots of a function. It uses an initial guess and repeatedly applies the formula xn+1 = xn - f(xn)/f'(xn) until the desired level of accuracy is achieved.

2. What is the Finite Difference method?

The Finite Difference method is a numerical method used to solve differential equations by converting them into a system of algebraic equations. It involves approximating derivatives using finite differences and solving the resulting equations using linear algebra techniques.

3. How are the Newton-Raphson method and Finite Difference method related?

The Newton-Raphson method is often used in conjunction with the Finite Difference method to solve nonlinear differential equations. The Finite Difference method is used to approximate the derivatives in the Newton-Raphson formula, making it a powerful tool for solving nonlinear systems of equations.

4. What are the advantages of using the Newton-Raphson method and Finite Difference method?

The Newton-Raphson method and Finite Difference method are both highly accurate and efficient numerical methods. They can be used to solve a wide range of problems, including nonlinear equations and differential equations. They also do not require an analytical solution, making them useful for complex systems.

5. What are the limitations of the Newton-Raphson method and Finite Difference method?

The Newton-Raphson method and Finite Difference method can be sensitive to initial guesses and may not converge if the initial guess is not close enough to the actual root. They also require the function to be differentiable, which may not always be the case for real-world problems. In addition, the Finite Difference method can introduce truncation errors, leading to less accurate results.

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