Java Number Cruncher

Program 5-4

Secant Algorithm

This applet demonstrates finding a the root of a function f(x) by the Secant Algorithm. How well this method works depends on how well we choose the initial two points.

To run the demo:

1. Choose a function.
2. Click the mouse on the graph along the x axis to pick the two starting points. For the best results, the second point should be closer to the root.
3. Press the Step button to single-step the algorithm.
4. Press the Run button to animate the algorithm.