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Algorithm

Bisection Method Algorithm

Numerical Algorithm

The bisection method finds a root of a continuous function within a given interval by repeatedly halving the interval, checking the sign of the function at the midpoint against the signs at the interval's endpoints, and keeping whichever half still contains a sign change, guaranteeing a root lies within the shrinking interval as long as the function changes sign across the original endpoints. It converges linearly, slower than methods such as Newton-Raphson, but it is simple to implement and guaranteed to converge whenever the initial interval is valid, unlike faster methods that can diverge from a poor starting point. It is one of the oldest root-finding methods in numerical analysis, related to the ancient method of exhaustion.

Facts
Classification
Design Technique
Iterative Refinement 1
Connections

Uses Design Technique

Source Wolfram MathWorld: Bisection
Sources
1. Wolfram MathWorld: Bisection
Wolfram MathWorld
  • MathWorld, article text (design technique)
    Bisection is a root bracketing procedure for iteratively converging on a solution which is known to lie inside some interval
  • Uses Design Technique: Iterative Refinement, MathWorld, article text (technique relation)
    Bisection is a root bracketing procedure for iteratively converging on a solution which is known to lie inside some interval
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