Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

1)

Numerical Methods

Determine the root of

2 0.5x 2 3 x
using bisection method. Given the initial guesses are 1, 2,3 and 4 .Decide the
appropriate lower and upper bound that bracket the root. Hence, carry out the
computation until a 10% .
[Answer: 2.75]

2)

Find a root of

f ( x) x 3 2 x 3
in the range 0 x 7

using the false position method for a 5% .

[Answer: 0.98814]

3)

Perform three iterations of iterative method to find a real root of the equation
cos x xe x

which lies between [0,1] using

(a)
bisection method
(b)
false position method
[Answer: a) 0.6250 b) 0.4940]

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Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

4)

Numerical Methods

The upward velocity of a rocket can be computed by the following formula:

m0
v u ln
gt
m0 qt
where v = upward velocity, u = the velocity at which fuel is expelled to the
rocket, m0 = the initial mass of the rocket at time t = 0, q = the fuel consumption
rate and g = the downward acceleration of gravity (assumed constant = 9.81ms -2 ).
If u 2000ms -1 , m0 150, 000kg and q 2700kgs -1 , compute the time at which
v 750ms -1 . (Hint: t is somewhere between 20 and 30 s). Determine your result
using bisection method so that a 4% .

[Answer: 20.625]

5)

You are designing a spherical tank to hold water for a small village in developing
country. The volume of liquid it can hold can be computed as
V h2

[3R h]
3

where V = volume, h = depth of water in tank, and R = the tank radius. If

R 3m , to what depth must the tank be filled so that it holds 30m 3 ?Compute
three iterations of the false position method to determine your Answer. Determine
the approximate relative error for each iteration. Employ initial guesses of 0 and
R . (hint : use 3.142 )
[Answer: h 2.0237 , a 1.8432% ]

6)

Determine the lowest real root of

f ( x) 2 x3 11.7 x2 17.7 x 5

using Newton Raphson method with x0 0.3 and perform three iterations.
Compute a for each approximation.
[Answer: lowest root 0.3651, a 0.0035% ]

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Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

7)

Numerical Methods

TEST 1
BUM2313 1112I
BAM2012 10111

Use Secant Method to estimate the root of

f ( x) e x x 2 .
Start with initial estimates x1 0.5 and x0 1 . Perform the computation until

a 3%.

8)

[Answer: 0.70095]

Determine the lowest positive root of f ( x) 8e x sin( x) 1

(a)
(b)

using the Newton Raphson method (three iterations, xi=0.3)

using the secant method (three iteration, xi-1=0.5 and xi=0.4)
[Answer: a) 0.14501 b) 0.15805]

9)

The lateral surface area, S ,of a cone is given by:

S r r 2 h2
where r is the radius of the base and h is the height. Determine
the radius of a cone which has a surface area of 1200 m 2 and
a height of 20 m , by calculating the first three iterations using
the newton raphson method. Use r0 17 m.
[Answer: 15.2041]
FINAL EXAM

10)

BET2553
The concentration of pollutant bacteria, c in a lake decreases according
to 1011II

c 75e 1.5t 20e 0.075t

Determine the time required for the bacteria concentration to be reduced to 15

using secant method with an initial guess of t 1 4 and t 0 5 . Calculate until
second iterations only ( i 0,1, 2 ). Find f t i and a after each iterations.

[Answer: Time required = 4.0016, f t 1 0.0023, f t 0 1.2127,

f t1 0.0004, f t 2 0, a,0 20%, a,1 24.9407%,

Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

Numerical Methods
TEST2 BUM2313
1213II

Determine the root of f ( x) 2e x sin x 1 using the Newton Raphson method

11)

with three iteration and x0 0.5

(Hint: Use radian mode)
[Answer: -0.3573]

TEST2 BUM2313
1213II

12)

A flat of mass m failing freely in air with a velocity V is subject to downward

gravitational force and an upward frictional drag force due to air. The drag force
FD is given by the expression

FD

0.3V 2
0.02V
500 (ln V )3

Terminal velocity is reached when the drag force equals the gravitational
force, that is
F FD mg 0
(a)

(b)

Find the terminal velocity using the Bisection method if m = 1 kg and g =

9.8 m/s2 . Use an initial interval of Vl 1 and Vu 200 m/s. Show your
work for computing the first three iterations.
Compute the approximate percent relative error, a for each iteration.
[Answer: (a) 175.125 m/s2 (b) 14.20% ]

Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

Numerical Methods

SUPPLEMENTARY EXERCISES
BISECTION METHOD

1.

f ( x) 14 20 x 19 x 2 3x3 using bisection

Determine the first root of

method with initial guesses of xl 1 and xu 2.5 and a stopping criterion of 15%.
[Answer: root 1.9375, a = 9.6774%]
2.

Determine the positive real root of ln( x 4 ) 0.7 using three iterations of the
bisection method with initial guesses of

xl 0.5 and xu 2 .
[Answer: root 1.0625, a =17.65%]

3.

Water is flowing in a trapezoidal channel at a rate of Q = 20ms 3 .

The critical depth y for such a channel must satisfy the equation

0 1

FINAL
EXAM
BMM2112
0910II

Q2
B
gAc3

where g = 9.81ms 2 , Ac = the cross-sectional area (m2), and B = the width of the
channel at the surface (m). For this case, the width and the cross-sectional area
can be related to depth y by B = 3+y and Ac = 3y + y2/2. Solve for the critical
depth using bisection method with initial guesses of yl = 0.5 and yu = 2.5, and
iterate until the approximate error falls below 1 % or the number of iteration
exceeds 10.
[Answer: root 1.5078125, a =0.52%]
4.

In environmental engineering (a specialty area in civil engineering), the following

equation can be used to compute the oxygen level c (mg/L) in a river downstream
from a sewage discharge:

c 10 20 e 0.15 x e 0.5 x

where x is the distance downstream in kilometers. Determine the distance

downstream where the oxygen level first falls to a reading of 5 mg/L. Use an
appropriate numerical method studied in this course to determine your Answer
with error must be less than 50%. (Hint: Use x 0 km and x 2 km as initial
distance downstream.)
[Answer: root 0.75]

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Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

5.

Numerical Methods

You have a spherical storage tank containing oil. The tank has a diameter of 6 ft.
You are asked to calculate the height, h , to which a dipstick 8 ft long would be
wet with oil when immersed in the tank when it contains 4 ft 3 of oil.
TEST 1
BUM2313
1011II

Spherical storage tank problem

The equation that gives the height, h , of liquid in the spherical tank for the given
volume and radius is given by:

f (h) h3 9h 2 3.8197
Use bisection method of finding roots of equations to find the height, h ,to which
the dipstick is wet with oil. Conduct three iterations to estimate the root of the
above problem and calculate a at the end of each iteration.
(Hint: The dipstick would be wet between h 0 and h 2r ,where r is the radius
of the tank. Also note that diameter = 2r )
[Answer: root 0.75]
6.

Determine the lowest real root of

f ( x) 2 x3 11.7 x2 17.7 x 5

TEST 1
BMM2112
1011I

Use two iterations of the bisection method. Compute the estimated error a and
the true error t for each approximation. Determine the initial guesses by using
graphical method with scale 1:1 in the interval [0, 4].
[Answer: root 0.5, a =100%, t = 31.53%]

Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

Numerical Methods

FALSE-POSI TION METHOD

7.

Use false-position to find the zero of

y 3x 3 19x 2 20x 13

TEST 1
BUM2313
1112I

on the interval [3,5] with stopping criterion

. Use four decimal places in
your calculation.
[Answer: root 4.6256, a =10.6418% ]
8.

Verify that the function f ( x) x 2 sin x 2 x 3 has exactly one root in [0,2]. Find
this root using the method of false position with three iterations.
[Answer: root 1.0330]

9.

The velocity v of a falling parachutist is given by

v

gm
( c )t
(1 e m )
c

FINAL
EXAM
BUM2313
1011II

where g 9.8ms 2 . For a parachutist with a drag coefficient c 15kgs 1 , compute

the mass, m, so that the velocity is v 35ms 1 at t 9s. Use the false-position
method with ml 50 kg and mu 70 kg to determine m to a level of s 2%.
[Answer: root 59.88461, a =1.051%]
10.

Given f ( x) 26 85 x 91x 2 44 x3 8 x 4 x5 . Use false position method to

determine the root to s 0.2% . Employ initial guesses of xl 0.5 and xu 1.0.
[Answer: root 0.55705, a =0.051%]

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Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

Numerical Methods

NE WTON R APHSON METHOD

11.

In ocean engineering, the equation for a reflected standing wave in a harbor is

given by

2x 2tv x
0.5 sin
cos
e

FINAL
EXAM
BAM2012
1011I

where 16, t 12 and v 48 . Solve for the lowest positive value of x by

using Newton Raphson method with an initial guess, x 0 1 and stopping
criterion of 5%.
[Answer: x2 = 49.2062, a =1.892%]
12.

13.

Compute three iterations of Newton Raphson method to find the root of the given
equation:
(a)

f ( x) x3 x 1 with x0 1.5.

[Answer: x3 = 1.32471]

(b)

f ( x) sin x 1 x3 with x0 1.5.

[Answer: x3 = -1.2491]

(c)

xex 2 0 with x0 0.7.

[Answer: x3 = 0.85261]

Use Newton Raphson method to determine a root of f ( x) x 2 1.8 x 2.5

using xo=5. Perform the computation until a is less than s 0.05%.
[Answer: 2.719341 , a 0.00% ]

14.

Determine the lowest positive root of f ( x) 8 sin( x)e x 1 using the Newton
Raphson method with three iterations and x0 0.3.
[Answer: 0.145012, a = 1.052%]

Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

Numerical Methods

SEC ANT METHOD

15.

Find the solution of the equation

1 0.08 tan
0.8 tan
0
0.08 tan

TEST 1
BAM2012
1011I

using secant method with 0 and 0.5 (in radians) as the initial approximations for
Perform the computation until three iterations with a for each iteration.
.

[Answer: f = 0.3805, a =20.8475%]

16.

Do three steps of the secant method for f ( x) x3 2 , using x1 0 and x0 1.

[Answer: 1.2097]

17.

If the secant method is used to find the zeros of f ( x) x3 3x 2 2 x 6 with

x1 1 and x0 2 , what is x2 ?
[Answer: 2.3]
18.

The concentration of pollutant bacteria c in a lake decreases according to

c 75e 1.5t 20e 0.075t
Determine the time required for the bacteria concentration to be reduced to 15
using secant method with t1 3 and t0 3.5 . Perform the computation until

a 0.5% .
[Answer: t 4.0013 and a 0.3% ]
19.

The fourth degree polynomial

f ( x) x 4 3x 2 6 x 2
has zero in x1 1 and x0 0 . Attempt to approximate this zero by performing
three iterations of secant method.
[Answer: x3 0.4112 ]

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Exercise 2: Roots of Equations

20.

Numerical Methods

You are working for a start-up computer assembly company and have been asked
to determine the minimum number of computers that the shop will have to sell to
make a profit. The equation that gives the minimum number of computers to be
sold after considering the total costs and the total sales is

f (n) 40n1.5 875n 35000

Use the secant method of finding roots of equations to find the minimum number
of computers that need to be sold to make a profit. Conduct three iterations to
estimate the root of the above equation. Find the absolute relative approximate
error at the end of each iteration. Let us take the initial guesses of the root of
f ( n) 0 as n1 25 and n0 50.
[Answer: n3 = 62.690, a 0.19425% ]

Universiti Malaysia Pahang