Programming

From Igad

Successive Approximation

When I was a nipper, my father showed me how to calculate square roots using successive approximation (Newton's method). Armed with a calculator I would test the algorithm out on paper.

It turns out that this approach is very powerful in solving numerous kinds of problems, and is one of the most important tools I use.

Some examples are described here.

Interception of a moving object by an accelerating projectile

In the AI tank battle game I developed for my AI course, the tanks fire rockets. To make things more interesting, these rockets accelerate as they travel.

[more at some point]