Thun/docs/Newton-Raphson.md

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# [Newton's method](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_method)
```python
from notebook_preamble import J, V, define
```
Cf. ["Why Functional Programming Matters" by John Hughes](https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/people/staff/dat/miranda/whyfp90.pdf)
$a_{i+1} = \frac{(a_i+\frac{n}{a_i})}{2}$
Let's define a function that computes the above equation:
n a Q
---------------
(a+n/a)/2
n a tuck / + 2 /
a n a / + 2 /
a n/a + 2 /
a+n/a 2 /
(a+n/a)/2
We want it to leave n but replace a, so we execute it with `unary`:
Q == [tuck / + 2 /] unary
```python
define('Q == [tuck / + 2 /] unary')
```
And a function to compute the error:
n a sqr - abs
|n-a**2|
This should be `nullary` so as to leave both n and a on the stack below the error.
err == [sqr - abs] nullary
```python
define('err == [sqr - abs] nullary')
```
Now we can define a recursive program that expects a number `n`, an initial estimate `a`, and an epsilon value `ε`, and that leaves on the stack the square root of `n` to within the precision of the epsilon value. (Later on we'll refine it to generate the initial estimate and hard-code an epsilon value.)
n a ε square-root
-----------------
√n
If we apply the two functions `Q` and `err` defined above we get the next approximation and the error on the stack below the epsilon.
n a ε [Q err] dip
n a Q err ε
n a' err ε
n a' e ε
Let's define the recursive function from here. Start with `ifte`; the predicate and the base case behavior are obvious:
n a' e ε [<] [popop popd] [J] ifte
Base-case
n a' e ε popop popd
n a' popd
a'
The recursive branch is pretty easy. Discard the error and recur.
w/ K == [<] [popop popd] [J] ifte
n a' e ε J
n a' e ε popd [Q err] dip [K] i
n a' ε [Q err] dip [K] i
n a' Q err ε [K] i
n a'' e ε K
This fragment alone is pretty useful.
```python
define('K == [<] [popop popd] [popd [Q err] dip] primrec')
```
```python
J('25 10 0.001 dup K')
```
5.000000232305737
```python
J('25 10 0.000001 dup K')
```
5.000000000000005
So now all we need is a way to generate an initial approximation and an epsilon value:
square-root == dup 3 / 0.000001 dup K
```python
define('square-root == dup 3 / 0.000001 dup K')
```
```python
J('36 square-root')
```
6.000000000000007
```python
J('4895048365636 square-root')
```
2212475.6192184356
```python
2212475.6192184356 * 2212475.6192184356
```
4895048365636.0