Activities

Integration - numerical methods, Simpson's rule


Simpson's rule is used to estimate the value of a definite integral. It works by creating an even number of intervals and fitting a parabola in each pair of intervals.


Simpson's rule provides the exact result for a quadratic function or parabola - why?

Surprisingly it gives the exact result for a cubic function. To prove this, you might first show that Simpson's rule with two intervals gives the exact result for:

Solution