Trapezoidal Rule of Integration

Prepared By Shaista Rais

What is Integration
b

 f ( x )dx
Integration: a
y
f(x)
The process of measuring
the area under a function
plotted on a graph.

b
I   f ( x )dx
a

Where:
f(x) is the integrand
a= lower limit of integration
a b x
b= upper limit of integration
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Basis of Trapezoidal Rule
Trapezoidal Rule is based on the Newton-Cotes Formula
that states if one can approximate the integrand as an nth
order polynomial…

b
I   f ( x )dx where f ( x )  fn( x )
a

and f n ( x )  a0  a1 x  ...  an1 x n1  an x n

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Basis of Trapezoidal Rule
Then the integral of that function is approximated by
the integral of that nth order polynomial.

b b

 f ( x )   fn( x )
a a

Trapezoidal Rule assumes n=1, that is, the area

under the linear polynomial,
b
   f ( a )  f ( b )
 f ( x )dx ( b a ) 2 
a

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Derivation of the Trapezoidal Rule

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Method Derived From Geometry
b

 f ( x )dx
1

The area under the y

a

f(x)
curve is a trapezoid.
The integral
b

 f ( x)dx  Area of
a
trapezoid
f1(x)
1
 ( Sum of parallel sides )( height )
2
1
  f ( b )  f ( a )( b  a )
2
 f ( a )  f ( b )
 ( b  a )  a b x
 2
Figure 2: Geometric Representation
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Example 1
The vertical distance covered by a rocket from t=8 to t=30
seconds is given by:

30
  140000  
x    2000 ln    9.8t dt
8 140000  2100 t  

a) Use single segment Trapezoidal rule to find the distance covered.

b) Find the true error, E t for part (a).
c) Find the absolute relative true error, a for part (a).

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Solution

 f ( a )  f ( b )
a) I  ( b  a ) 
 2
a 8 b  30
 140000 
f ( t )  2000 ln    9.8t
140000  2100 t 

 140000 
f ( 8 )  2000 ln    9.8( 8 )  177.27 m / s
140000  2100( 8 )

 140000 
f ( 30 )  2000 ln    9.8( 30 )  901.67 m / s
140000  2100( 30 )

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Solution (cont)

177 .27  901 .67 

a) I  ( 30  8 ) 
 2

 11868 m

b) The exact value of the above integral is

30
  140000  
x    2000 ln    9.8t dt  11061 m
8 140000  2100 t  

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Solution (cont)

b) Et  True Value  Approximate Value

 11061  11868
 807 m

c) The absolute relative true error, t , would be

11061  11868
t   100  7.2959 %
11061

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