Taylor’s Series &
Maclaurin’s Series
Compiled by: Nyasha P. Tarakino (Trockers)
+263772978155/+263717267175
[email protected]
30 October 2018
SYLLABUS (6042) REQUIREMENTS
use Taylor’s and Maclaurin’s series for
approximation
solve problems involving method of
differences as well as Taylor’s and
Maclaurin’s series
Tarakino N.P. (Trockers) ~ 0772978155/ 0717267175
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NOTES
A Tailor series is a specific mathematical recipe for constructing a polynomial of
degree that approximates a given function near a point .
To obtain the Taylor expansion of a function about the point :
(i) Decide how many terms of the series you are going to generate (Unless it’s already
specified in the question). Call this number .
(ii) Obtain the derivatives of the function:
(iii)Evaluate these at to obtain
(iv) The resulting Taylor expansion is given by:
This can be simplified as:
NB: In the special case where , the Taylor expansion above is called Maclaurin
Expansion, but this is a mere terminological matter. Hence the Maclaurin expansion
becomes:
This can be simplified as:
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EXAMPLES
Question 1
Find the first four terms in the Taylor series for the function near
Suggested Solution
Method 1
Find the Taylor series for and then multiply by .
Now
Now
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Method 2
Find the Tailor series for . This method requires more work than method 1.
Now
Question 2
Find the first four terms in the Maclaurin’s series for the function near
Suggested Solution
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Now
Question 3
Find the first four terms in the Taylor series for the function centred at
Suggested Solution
Now
Question 4
Find the first four terms in the Taylor series for the function centred at
Suggested Solution
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NB: Since the fourth derivative of Sin is just Sin , then the sequence repeats forever.
Now
Past Exam Questions
Question 4
Given that .
a) Show that .
b) Find a Taylor series expansion of in ascending powers of , up to and
including the term in .
Suggested Solution
4a)
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For , differentiate .
NB:
NB: and
4b) For , differentiate .
Now
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Now
Question 5
Given that , at . Use Taylor’s series to find a solution of the
differential equation in ascending powers of up to and including the term in
Suggested Solution
Now to find we use the equation (i)
Substituting and into equation (i) above:
i.e
To find we differentiate equation (i) above:
(i)
Now differentiating equation (i) we get: (ii)
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Substituting and in equation (ii) above:
Now
since
ZIMSEC 2018
a) Use the series expansion of to expand up to and including the
term in . [4]
b) Given that , where . Use
Taylor’s series to find the first three terms of . [4]
Suggested Solution
a) From tables:
Now
b)
Now to find we use the equation (i)
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Substituting and into equation (i) above:
i.e
To find we differentiate equation (i) above:
(i)
Now differentiating equation (i) we get: (ii)
Substituting and in equation (ii) above:
Now
since
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Practice Questions
QUESTION 1
The displacement of a particle at time is given by the differential equation
when . Find a Taylor’s series solution for the in
ascending powers of up to and including the term in .
QUESTION 2
Given that
a) Show that where is a constant to be
found.
Given that at .
b) find a series solution for in ascending powers of up to and including the term in
QUESTION 3
Given that
a) Show that .
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Given that at
b) find a series solution for in ascending powers of up to and including the term in
QUESTION 4
Given that , find a series expansion for , up to and
including the term in .
QUESTION 5
Given that
a) Find in terms of , and
Given that
b) find a series solution for in ascending powers of up to and including the term in
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*******THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF EVERY TUNNEL *******
CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOME; FEEL
FREE TO CONTACT ME SO THAT WE CAN
IMPROVE THE DOCUMENT TOGETHER.
***ENJOY***
Nyasha P. Tarakino (Trockers)
+263772978155/+263717267175
[email protected]
Tarakino N.P. (Trockers) ~ 0772978155/ 0717267175
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