ZIMSEC A-Level Pure Mathematics
6.6Numerical methods
Numerical methods in ZIMSEC A-Level Pure Mathematics: what the syllabus expects you to know, the learning objectives and how to practise.
Topic55 practice questions3 lessons
Overview
Form 6 only.
Learning objectives
What the syllabus expects you to be able to do.
- 6.6.1Form 6: define error, distinguish between absolute and relative error, and estimate errors in calculations.
- 6.6.2Form 6: approximate a root of an equation graphically or by a change of sign.
- 6.6.3Form 6: derive a converging iterative formula for an equation and solve the equation by iteration.
- 6.6.4Form 6: derive the Newton–Raphson formula and use it to solve equations.
- 6.6.5Form 6: recognise cases where an iterative method may fail to converge to the required root.
- 6.6.6Form 6: derive the trapezium rule, estimate areas with it, and explain how to bound an area using rectangles or trapezia.
Lessons
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Locating roots and fixed-point iteration
45 min
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The Newton–Raphson method
40 min
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The trapezium rule and numerical errors
45 min
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Sample question
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