DIVDIF
Divided Difference Polynomials


DIVDIF is a FORTRAN90 library which creates, prints and manipulates divided difference polynomials based on data tabulated at evenly spaced or unevenly spaced argument values.

Divided difference polynomials are a systematic method of computing polynomial approximations to scattered data. The representations are compact, and may easily be updated with new data, rebased at zero, or analyzed to produce the standard form polynomial, integral or derivative polynomials.

Other routines are available to convert the divided difference representation to standard polynomial format. This is a natural way to determine the coefficients of the polynomial that interpolates a given set of data, for instance.

One surprisingly simple but useful routine is available to take a set of roots and compute the divided difference or standard form polynomial that passes through those roots.

Finally, the Newton-Cotes quadrature formulas can be derived using divided difference methods, so a few routines are given which can compute the weights and abscissas of open or closed rules for an arbitrary number of nodes.

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.

Related Data and Programs:

DIVDIF is available in a C++ version and a FORTRAN90 version and a MATLAB version.

PPPACK is a FORTRAN90 library which computes piecewise polynomial functions, including cubic splines.

SPLINE is a FORTRAN90 library which can construct and evaluate spline interpolants and approximants.

TEST_APPROX is a FORTRAN90 library which defines test functions for approximation and interpolation.

Reference:

  1. Carl deBoor,
    A Practical Guide to Splines,
    Springer, 2001,
    ISBN: 0387953663,
    LC: QA1.A647.v27.
  2. Jean-Paul Berrut, Lloyd Trefethen,
    Barycentric Lagrange Interpolation,
    SIAM Review,
    Volume 46, Number 3, September 2004, pages 501-517.
  3. FM Larkin,
    Root Finding by Divided Differences,
    Numerische Mathematik,
    Volume 37, pages 93-104, 1981.

Source Code:

Examples and Tests:

List of Routines:

You can go up one level to the FORTRAN90 source codes.


Last revised on 30 August 2005.