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Minimax approximation algorithm

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A minimax approximation algorithm (or L approximation[1] or uniform approximation[2]) is a method to find an approximation that minimizes maximum error.

Example

For example, to approximate the function f(x) by a function p(x) on the interval [a,b], a minimax approximation algorithm will find a function p(x) to minimize[3]

Polynomial approximations

The Weierstrass approximation theorem states that every continuous function defined on a closed interval [a,b] can be uniformly approximated as closely as desired by a polynomial function.[2]

Polynomial expansions such as the Taylor series expansion are often convenient for theoretical work but less useful for practical applications. For practical work it is often desirable to minimize the maximum absolute or relative error of a polynomial fit for any given number of terms in an effort to reduce computational expense of repeated evaluation.

One popular minimax approximation algorithm is the Remez algorithm. Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind closely approximate the minimax polynomial.[4]

References

  1. ^ Muller, Jean-Michel; et al. (2009). Handbook of Floating-Point Arithmetic. Springer. p. 376. ISBN 081764704X.
  2. ^ a b Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi: 10.1007/0-387-21682-0_2, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi= 10.1007/0-387-21682-0_2 instead.
  3. ^ Powell, M. J. D. (1981). "7: The theory of minimax approximation". Approximation Theory and Methods. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521295149.
  4. ^ "Minimax Polynomial". Wolfram MathWorld. Retrieved 2012-09-03.