Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association
Volume 39 Issue 2, June 2002
53 – 55
A Pitfall in Using Newton’s Method
David E. Dobbs
Newton’s Method (NM) is the most familiar numerical method for root approximation in a first course on calculus (Stewart 2001, 324-29). Not only is NM rather straightforward to implement, it is also often effective, yielding quadratic convergence to a root of a given function under reasonably mild assumptions (Wade 1995, 206). In addition to providing practice with NM, calculus texts often mention pitfalls that may arise in using NM.
