Neville's algorithm
Encyclopedia
In mathematics, Neville's algorithm is an algorithm used for polynomial interpolation
Polynomial interpolation
In numerical analysis, polynomial interpolation is the interpolation of a given data set by a polynomial: given some points, find a polynomial which goes exactly through these points.- Applications :...

 that was derived by the mathematician Eric Harold Neville
Eric Harold Neville
Eric Harold Neville, known as E. H. Neville was an English mathematician. A heavily fictionalized portrayal of his life is rendered in the 2007 novel The Indian Clerk.-Early life and education:Eric Harold Neville was born in London on 1 January, 1889...

. Given n + 1 points, there is a unique polynomial of degree ≤ n which goes through the given points. Neville's algorithm evaluates this polynomial.

Neville's algorithm is based on the Newton form
Newton polynomial
In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, a Newton polynomial, named after its inventor Isaac Newton, is the interpolation polynomial for a given set of data points in the Newton form...

 of the interpolating polynomial and the recursion relation for the divided differences
Divided differences
In mathematics divided differences is a recursive division process.The method can be used to calculate the coefficients in the interpolation polynomial in the Newton form.-Definition:Given n data points,\ldots,...

. It is similar to Aitken's algorithm (named after Alexander Aitken
Alexander Aitken
Alexander Craig Aitken was one of New Zealand's greatest mathematicians. He studied for a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, where his dissertation, "Smoothing of Data", was considered so impressive that he was awarded a DSc in 1926, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh...

), which is nowadays not used.

The algorithm

Given a set of n+1 data points (xi, yi) where no two xi are the same, the interpolating polynomial is the polynomial p of degree at most n with the property
p(xi) = yi for all i = 0,…,n

This polynomial exists and it is unique. Neville's algorithm evaluates the polynomial at some point x.

Let pi,j denote the polynomial of degree j − i which goes through the points (xk, yk) for k = i, i + 1, …, j. The
pi,j satisfy the recurrence relation

This recurrence can calculate

p0,n(x),
which is the value being sought. This is Neville's algorithm.

For instance, for n = 4, one can use the recurrence to fill the triangular tableau below from the left to the right.


This process yields

p0,4(x),
the value of the polynomial going through the n + 1 data points (xi, yi) at the point x.

This algorithm needs O
Big O notation
In mathematics, big O notation is used to describe the limiting behavior of a function when the argument tends towards a particular value or infinity, usually in terms of simpler functions. It is a member of a larger family of notations that is called Landau notation, Bachmann-Landau notation, or...

(n2) floating point operations.

External links

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