Secant method

English

Noun

1. Template:Lb An iterative numerical method for finding a root of an equation $f(x)=0$, using a succession of roots of secant lines to better approximate the root.

Usage notes

It is defined by the recurrence relation $x_{n+1}=x_n-f(x_n)\frac{x_n-x_{n-1}}{f(x_n)-f(x_{n-1})}$, where $n=1,2,3,...$, and $x_0$ and $x_1$ are initial values.