NUMERICAL METHODS

METHOD OF THE FALSE POSITION

School Of Engineering Of Petroleum

METHOD
FALSE POSITION

DIEGO F.
Industrial university De Santander
I Semester of 2010
 NUMERICAL METHODS
METHOD OF THE FALSE POSITION
School Of Engineering Of Petroleum

Although the bisection method is a skill perfectly valid to determine Roots, his approach
is relatively inefficient. The false position is an alternative based on a graphic
visualization.

A defect of the method of bisection is that, on having divided the xi interval to xu in equal
halves, (xi) does not take in consideration the magnitude of f and f (xu). For example, if f
(xi) is much nearer to zero that f (xu), it is logical that the root is closer of xi that of xu (see
it appears).

DIEGO F.
Industrial university De Santander
I Semester of 2010
 NUMERICAL METHODS
METHOD OF THE FALSE POSITION
School Of Engineering Of Petroleum

This alternative method that makes use of the graphic visualization is that of joining f
(xi) and f (xu) with a straight line. The intersection of this line with the axis of x represents
a better estimation of the root. The fact that the curve is replaced by a straight line it gives
a "false position" of the root; from here the name of method of the false position, or in
Latin, regulates falsi. Also he is met like the method of linear interpolation.
Using similar triangles (see it appears), the intersection of the straight line with the axis of
x can be estimated like,
f (x i) f ( xu)
=
xr−xi xr −xu

DIEGO F.
Industrial university De Santander
I Semester of 2010
 NUMERICAL METHODS
METHOD OF THE FALSE POSITION
School Of Engineering Of Petroleum

which can solve for (to see picture 5.1 for details).
f ( xu ) (xr −xu)
xr=xu−
f ( xi ) −f (xu)

This is the formula of the false position. The value of xr calculated with the equation, there
replaces one of two initial values xi or xu that produces a value of the function that has the
same sign of f (x). This way, the values xi and xu they always shut up to the root. The process
recurs until the approach to the root is suitable.

DIEGO F.
Industrial university De Santander
I Semester of 2010