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Numerical Methods Course Notes Version 0.1 (UCSD Math 174, Fall ...

Numerical Methods Course Notes Version 0.1 (UCSD Math 174, Fall ...

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8.4. GAUSSIAN QUADRATURE 113<br />

function iappx = gaussComp(f,a,b,n)<br />

% code to approximate integral of f over n equal subintervals of [a,b]<br />

x = a .+ (b-a) .* (0:n) ./ n;<br />

iappx = 0;<br />

for i=1:n<br />

iappx += gauss2(f,x(i),x(i+1));<br />

end<br />

Use your code to approximate the error function:<br />

erf(z) = 2 √ π<br />

∫ z<br />

0<br />

e −t2 dt.<br />

Compare your results with the octave/Matlab builtin function erf. (Try help erf in octave,<br />

or see http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Erf.html)<br />

The error function is used in probability. In particular, the probability that a normal random<br />

variable is within z standard deviations from its mean is<br />

erf(z/ √ 2)<br />

Thus erf(1/ √ 2) ≈ 0.683, and erf(2/ √ 2) ≈ 0.955. These numbers should look familiar to you.

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