Exercise · ZW-GAUSSIAN-QUADRATURE-010 · ★★★ Advanced

Using the 2-point Gaussian rule after mapping \([0,2]\) to \([-1,1]\), what is \(\int_0^2 x^3\,dx\)? Use \(x=t+1\) with \(t\in[-1,1]\).

Choose one option.

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  • D. \(4\)

Explanation

The scale factor is 1 and f at the shifted nodes, \((1\pm 1/\sqrt{3})^3\), sums to \(4\), matching the exact value because the degree is 3. Skipping the change of variable leads to values such as \(2\) or \(8\).

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Review the concept: Gaussian quadrature

Numerical integration method that chooses optimal nodes \(x_i\) and weights \(w_i\) to approximate an integral with the highest possible accuracy for a fixed number of function evaluations.

\[\int_{a}^{b} f(x)\,dx \approx \sum_{i=1}^{n} w_i\, f(x_i)\]

More practice problems: gaussian quadrature

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