Exercise · ZW-TRAPEZOIDAL-RULE-001 · ★☆☆ Basic

What is the step \(h\) when applying the composite trapezoidal rule to \(\int_0^2 f(x)\,dx\) with \(n=4\) subintervals?

Choose one option.

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  • C. \(h=0.5\)

Explanation

The step is \(h=(b-a)/n=(2-0)/4=0.5\). The option with \(h=0.25\) divides by \(2n\) instead of \(n\).

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Review the concept: Trapezoidal rule

The trapezoidal rule is a quadrature method that approximates the definite integral of a function \(f\) on \([a,b]\) by replacing the curve with the straight line joining \((a,f(a))\) and \((b,f(b))\).

\[\int_a^b f(x)\,dx \approx \frac{h}{2}\left[f(a)+2\sum_{i=1}^{n-1}f(x_i)+f(b)\right]\]

More practice problems: trapezoidal rule

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