Approximation Definition and 768 Threads

  1. K

    Approximation for Unknown Variable

    Homework Statement Firstly sorry if this is in the wrong place. I have never submitted a question on this forum about a comp sci question. I got an assignment that asked me to solve for a variable using Bisection of successive approximations. This however is not why I am here as I know you...
  2. J

    Understanding Approximations in Angular Motion Equations

    Homework Statement It's attached. The problem and solution are given. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I circled a part of the image in red. Is this substitution supposed to be an approximation? I was thinking it was because one is referring to angular motion, so...
  3. W

    How Does the Tanh(x) Approximation Relate to Small Angles?

    Hello! So I was reading a paper in which I came across the following: k = \pi + \pi\ell \tanh{(k)} \approx \pi\ell where "l" is very small. What on Earth is the origin of this approximation? I'm sure it's very simple, but I can't seem to derive it from the angle-sum and small angle...
  4. L

    Stirling's approximation for Gamma functions with a negative argument

    Hi, fellow physicists (to be). This is my first post on the forum, so I hope I get it right. If not so, please let me know :) introduction to the problem At the moment I am working on my physics bachelor's thesis at the theoretical department of my university (Amsterdam). My thesis focusses...
  5. F

    Linear approximation and Multiple integral questions

    I am aware that for a function of two variables f(x,y) a linear approximation of a point f(x,y) close to f(x_0,y_0) can be approximated by the tangent plane approximation f(x_0+\Delta x,y_0+\Delta y)\approx f(x_0,y_0)+f_x(x_0,y_0)\Delta x+f_y(x_0,y_0)\Delta y where \Delta x=x-x_0 and \Delta...
  6. S

    Approximation of a process by independent draws

    Another thread in this section (https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=619945) raises some interesting questions. I can't figure what the original poster there is asking, so I think it best to put what I'm asking in a new thread. A simple "field test" of a system that detects a...
  7. M

    Ultrarelativistic approximation

    I read that when v≈c, sqrt(1-β2) = sqrt(2*(1-β)). How do you show this mathematically? I have no idea. Thanks! :)
  8. G

    Tangent space as best approximation

    Dear all, in what sense the tangent space is the best approximation of a manifold? The idea is clear to me when we think about a surface in Rn and its tangent plane at a point. But what does this mean when we are referring to very general manifolds? In what sense "approximation" and in what...
  9. A

    Solve for 0<b<a: Proving Inequality & Approximation Error

    Homework Statement Firstly, I'd just like to point out that this is not actually a course related question. I have been trying to teach myself mathematics, and have been grappling with this for a couple of days. The book has no answer at the back for this particular question. Variables...
  10. D

    Least squares approximation: Is smaller normal distance always better?

    I took a LA course in the spring, and was interested by the least squares method for building models. I decided to practice this concept by attempting to build a model that would predict ticket sales for the Mega Millions lottery given the jackpot amount. I have 249 data pairs of jackpot and...
  11. F

    Approximation of integral for small boundary

    This problem arises in a paper on population genetics (Kimura 1962). 1. The problem statement Let f(p) = \int_0^p ((1 - x)/x)^k dx. For a small value of p, we have approximately f(p) = (p ^ (1-k)) / (1-k) How is this obtained? 2. My attempt at a solution I tried to expand the f(p) around p =...
  12. F

    Approximation of Gaussian integral arising in population genetics

    The following problem arises in the context of a paper on population genetics (Kimura 1962, p. 717). I have posted it here because its solution should demand only straightforward applications of tools from analysis and algebra. However, I cannot figure it out. Homework Statement Let z = 4...
  13. E

    Approximation Using Taylor POlynomial

    Find an approximate value of the number e-0.1 with an error less than 10-3 ı know that ex = Ʃ(from zero to ınfinity) xn / n!=1+x/1!+x 2/2!+... ı don't know how to use e-0.1 in this question.Do ı write -0.1 instead of x in ex series?
  14. S

    The electric dipole approximation

    I am trying to understand the elctric dipole approximation when an atom interacts with an electromagnetic wave. I know that if the size of the atom is much much smaller than the wavelength of the radiation, then the dot product od the wavevector and the position vector becomes constant. I...
  15. B

    A close approximation for square root of 2.

    By chance I stumbled on this "almost" equality: \frac{1}{5}(1/2+2/3+3/4+4/5+5/6+6/7+7/8+8/9+9/10) ≈ √2 - 7.2×10^{-6} I'm just wondering, are these funny coincidences simply, well, coincidences :biggrin: or is there some kind of explanation? I've see a ton of other funny stuff like...
  16. S

    Does this method have a name? Function Approximation by Polynomial Sum

    I created a method for both approximating a function and extending a it's domain from a Natural to a Real Domain. Does this have a name already or any interesting application? Basically. Add polynomial of degree 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. Making at the same time the approximation function equal to f(0)...
  17. R

    How do I carry out an approximation for this equation?(if L Ns then what?)

    \frac{Ns-L}{L+Ns} What does that reduce to if L << Ns ? Obviously setting L to zero leads me nowhere since that argument above is actually inside a logarithm. I don't know how to perform the approximation. And the answer can't be zero by the way. Is there something I can do here? Usually the...
  18. Vorde

    Is SR an approximation or a special case?

    I was having this debate with a friend, and I wanted to know if I was correct. My friend was saying that SR is an approximation for GR (albeit a very good one) with the specific conditions of only inertial reference frames, and I was saying that SR is exactly accurate with GR, and so is directly...
  19. I

    Write a closed form expression for the approximation y(nC)

    y(4C) ≈ 7.3 + C + \frac{C}{3^{10C}} + \frac{C}{3^{20C}} + \frac{C}{3^{30C}} Would: y(nC) ≈ 7.3 + C\sum_{n = 0}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{3^{10Cn}}} Be an acceptable answer? If not, what am I doing wrong here?
  20. T

    The normal approximation to the binomial

    Homework Statement I've attached the questionHomework Equations Pr(X<=x)= (x + 0.5 - n*p) / sqrt(n*p*(1-p))The Attempt at a Solution okay so n=1150, p=0.02 , Pr(X<23) =23 + 0.5 - 1150(0.02) / sqrt(1150*0.02*0.98) =0.105316 is that bit right so far. Because it is less than i thought x...
  21. I

    Taylor approximation of the Doppler Law for slow-moving emitters

    The relationship linking the emitted frequency Fe and the received frequency Fr is the Doppler Law: F_r = \sqrt \frac{1-\frac{v}{c}}{1-\frac{v}{c}} F_e The Taylor series for the function \sqrt\frac{1+x}{1-x} near x = 0 is 1+x+\frac{x^2}{2}+\frac{x^3}{3}+... On Earth, most objects travel...
  22. Femme_physics

    Trying to answer a successive approximation question

    The following component is connected to a reference voltage of Vref = 6V. The component is given the value (2C)16 to convert. Calculate Vout. http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7396/figuringout.jpg Basically I treated this supposedly successive approximation converter like any other...
  23. M

    How is the Correction Term in Steepest Descent Approximation Determined?

    Hi all, I am reading now Zee's book "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell", there in Apendix 2 of Chapter I.2 the method of steepest descent is briefly described. The part where I have a question is almost self contained and half a page long, so I attached the screen shot of it (formula 19)...
  24. N

    Notation regarding the dipole approximation

    Homework Statement Hi Whenever I read about the dipole approximation in QM, then the Hamiltonian is given as \hat {V}_{\text{dipole}} = -\mathbf{d}\cdot \mathbf{E} where E is the electric field and d the dipole operator. What I am wondering about is that d is an operator. Is it wrong to...
  25. G

    Approximation of string extension length

    Homework Statement A string of length a is stretched to a height of y when it is attached to the origin so making a triangle with length L=\sqrt{a^{2}+\frac{y^{2}}{a^{2}}} and therefore a length extension ΔL= \sqrt{a^{2}+\frac{y^{2}}{a^{2}}}-a which simplifies to...
  26. N

    Adiabatic approximation for joint probability distribution

    Hi group, I'm a theoretical ecologist with fairly adequate training in applied math (ODE, linear algebra, applied probability, some PDEs). In my current work, I've encountered the use of adiabatic approximation to a joint probability distribution of two ever-fluctuating spatial variables. A...
  27. X

    Second Virial Approximation for Infinite Number of Particle Types

    Homework Statement Here's the setup. I have a gas of rod like molecules, where n*f(u)*dΩ is the number of rods having their direction in the solid angle dΩ pointing in the direction u. The problem says to consider rods pointing in different directions as separate species. Homework...
  28. T

    [Numerical Mathematics] one-dimensional advection-diffusion approximation

    Hi, I'm having trouble with a programming problem for my numerical mathematics course. It's about the one-dimensional advection-diffusion equation a*u'(x)-epsilon*u"(x) = 1, on the interval -1 < x < 1. The boundary values are: u(-1) = u_r, u(1) = u(l) I have to approximate the solution...
  29. Femme_physics

    Successive Approximation ADC: What Sets It Apart?

    Wiki says: Isn't this exactly what every A/D converter does? For a graph of Vin to digital output it basically approximates the nearest digital value to the continuous signal -> So I don't see the difference between them.
  30. T

    Newtons method error approximation

    Homework Statement I've attached the questionHomework Equations x(n+1) = x(n) - f(x(n)) / f '(x(n))The Attempt at a Solution okay so x2= 1.3517323300 and I've already calculated x3 to be 1.3483949227 then how do i estimate the error in x2? do i subtract or something?
  31. ╔(σ_σ)╝

    Approximation of Functions using the Sign Function

    Homework Statement Prove that any function f(x) can be approximated to any accuracy by a linear combination of sign functions as: f(x) ≈f(x_{0})+ \sum{[f(x_{i+1})-f(x_{i})]} \frac{1+ sgn(x -x_i)}{2} Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Looks like taylors theorem...
  32. J

    Why Do Sphere Surface Areas Differ With Same Approximation?

    i have found the area of sphere in two ways using the same approximation.but i get two different answers ;one the correct value 4∏R^2?how does this happen? i'm attaching the solution below?please refer to the attachments and give a solution?
  33. P

    Multivariable Calculus (1st order approximation)

    Homework Statement Define f:R2→R3 by f(x,y,z)=(xy+z) ...(x2-yz) let p = (1,1,1)T and h=(δ,ε,θ) a)what are n and m? evaluate f(p) and f(p+h) b)Calculate the Jacobian Matrix Df(x,y,z) and evaluate Df(p) c) Calculate the error e(h) in the first order approximation to f(p+h) d) show...
  34. S

    Error bounds on series approximation

    Homework Statement I want to estimate f(x)=\ln (\frac{1}{1+x}) on the interval (1/10,1) with the error on the approximation being no more than 0.1. Homework Equations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor's_theorem#Example The Attempt at a Solution Following the example from Wikipedia, I...
  35. S

    Approximation of distance to a Type Ia

    Homework Statement The Type Ia supernova SN 1963p in the galaxy NGC 1084 had an apparent blue magnitude of B = 14.0 at peak brilliance. Then, with an extinction of 0.49 mag to that galaxy, the distance to the supernova is approximately d = 10(m - M - A + 5)/5 = 41.9 Mpc Homework...
  36. L

    Order of error for rational approximation of irrationals

    Hi, I have to approximate an irrational number x by rationals r = p/q. Let ε>0 in ℝ, then, for almost all x exist α and r in (x-ε,x+ε) such that q ≈ c(x) ε^-α, c(x) in ℝ? I know, from Hurwitz theorem (and a conseguence) that α>2, if exists.
  37. C

    Thomas-Fermi Screening Approximation

    I got quite confused with the math in Thomas-Fermi's approximation. I thought it was supposed to approximate a length but the math from a textbook gives energy instead. I don't understand what is it trying to approximate. My professor told me that normal conductors screen electric field...
  38. J

    Numerical approximation of the eigenvalues and the eigenvector

    Homework Statement This problem will guide you through the steps to obtain a numerical approximation of the eigenvalues, and eigenvectors of A using an example. We will define two sequences of vectors{vk} and {uk} (a) Choose any vector u \in R2 as u0 (b) Once uk has been determined, the...
  39. C

    Calculating Sound Velocity in Diamond Using Debye Approximation

    Diamond has a Debye temperature of Dt = 2000 K and a density of 3500 kg/m3. The distance between nearest neighbors is 0.15 nm. Determine the velocity of sound using the Debye approximation. I have no idea where to even start with this question. Most books don't even mention the Debye...
  40. P

    Approximation for -1 exponent expression

    How do you come up with this approximation? [1+H(t-t_0)- \frac{1}{2}qH^2(t- t_0)^2]^{-1}\approx1+ H(t_0-t)+ \frac{1}{2}qH^2(t-t_0)^2+ H^2(t-t_0)^2 Is there a rule that leads to this approximation?
  41. K

    Fourier approximation with polynomial

    Homework Statement Approximate the function f(x)=sin(\pi x) on the interval [0,1] with the polynomial ax^{2}+bx+c with finding a, b and c. Homework Equations f(x)=a_{0}+\sum^{\infty}_{n=1}(a_{n}cos(nx)+b_{n}sin(nx)) a_0=\frac{1}{2\pi}\int^{\pi}_{-\pi}f(x)dx...
  42. D

    Poisson approximation distribution

    Homework Statement In a manufacturing process for electrical components, the probability of a finished component being defective is 0.012, independently of all others. Finished components are packed in boxes of 100. A box is acceptable if it contains not more than 1 defective component...
  43. A

    Errors in Left and Right Approximation in Calculus?

    Moderator's note: This thread is a perfect example of what not to do in the homework help forums. It is unacceptable for the opening poster not to work through the problem and to demand answers. It is inappropriate for the helper to give out those answers, or tell the poster exactly what to do...
  44. N

    An integral as an approximation of a sum.

    Hello! I was wondering if the following statement is true for large n: \sum_{i=1}^{n} \ \left( 1 \ - \ \frac{i}{(n+1)} \right) \ \approx \ \lim_{n \rightarrow \inf}\ \sum_{i=1}^{n} \ \left( 1 \ - \ \frac{i}{(n+1)} \right) \left( \frac{1}{(n+1)} \right) Firstly, the RHS is an integral...
  45. D

    Orbital Hybridization - Real or Approximation

    I've been reading the book "why chemical reactions happen", and according to my understanding, it seems as though orbital hybridization is just an "approximation" and not real, as in there is no such orbital, while MO are (real). Is my understanding correct? Or are MOs also just approximations...
  46. R

    Approximation theory problem: show nonexistence of best approximation

    Homework Statement Problem 1.8 here (Link to Google books) Clarification: C[0,1] are the continuous functions on the interval [0,1] and let S denote the set of points in the problem, as it is stated (can't tell if it's a S or a P in the book). Homework Equations Have I understood the...
  47. E

    How does asymptotic approximation follow in this scenario?

    Hello, I am reading a paper, and the author claimed that in asymptotic sense as M goes to infinite: \sum_{i=1}^M\sum_{l=0}^L|h_i(l)|^2=M where: \sum_{l=0}^L\mathbb{E}\left\{|h_i(l)|^2\right\}=1. How is that asymptotic follows? Thanks in advance
  48. A

    Linear Approximation: Find & Use for f(2.28,8.22)

    Find the linear approximation to the equation f(x,y) = 3 sqrt((x y)/4) at the point (2,8,6), and use it to approximate f(2.28,8.22). I know you take the derivative of fx(x,y) and fy(x,y), I think I'm taking the derivative wrong. Then after that you put x and y in the equation and solve for...
  49. H

    Good Approximation to the Log Function

    Homework Statement So in my biology class, my professor wants us to use the Nernst equation without using calculators. I personally think this is stupid. However, I have no choice, so today, I tried coming up with approximations of the log function. Homework Equations We start with loga(b) =...
  50. B

    ADC with successive approximation VS Digital ramp ADC

    I've asked this question before. But still I got some unanswered ones. I am really tired, but I cannot sleep if I got something laying there, tingling me. http://pokit.org/get/cfb750b79f49cfc12dc51a74a37f576e.jpg This is digital ramp. In attachments I added a full circuit, from...
Back
Top