Being a weblog devoted to a variety of topics. Including Mathematics. And Mathematical Finance. Sometimes with homework.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

21-260: Euler's Method in Dfield

This week's written assignment asks you to use dfield to plot numerical solutions generated using Euler's method. Euler's method is not the default method in dfield, but it can easily be changed.

First, plot the direction field for the equation you want to study. Then in the DFIELD Direction Field Window go to the Options menu. Choose Options > ODE Solver > Euler. This brings up the Dfield Solver Settings Window with a text box to enter the step size. Enter your desired step size and click "Apply". (If you don't click Apply, there will be no change to the step size. This is, for some reason, annoyingly frustrating. But maybe that is just me.)

In order to gain more precision in plotting solutions to initial value problems, you may wish to enter them from the keyboard, rather than clicking in the window. To do this, select Solution > Keyboard Input of Initial Value in the DFIELD Direction Field Window. This brings up the DFIELD Keyboard Input window, which performs just as you would expect.

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