4.3.2 - How RK4 Works
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Practice Questions
Test your understanding with targeted questions
Define the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method.
💡 Hint: What are the four intermediate values called in RK4?
What is the formula for calculating \( k_1 \)?
💡 Hint: Think about the function evaluated at the current time and step size.
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Interactive Quizzes
Quick quizzes to reinforce your learning
Which of the following steps is not involved in the RK4 method?
💡 Hint: Recall how many intermediate slopes we calculate.
True or False: RK4 is computationally less expensive than Euler's method.
💡 Hint: Consider the number of calculations involved.
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Challenge Problems
Push your limits with advanced challenges
Consider the ODE \( \frac{dy}{dt} = y^2 \) with \( y(0) = 1 \) and \( h = 0.1 \). Compute the first three approximations using RK4.
💡 Hint: Start with each slope and ensure you use the previous slopes to make adjustments.
Discuss the effects of varying the step size \( h \) on the accuracy of RK4. What might happen if you make \( h \) too large?
💡 Hint: Consider how the step size impacts the function sampling.
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