The solution of algebraic equations on the EDSAC

Abstract

This paper is an account of the methods that have been used with the EDSAC for the solution of algebraic equations. Three repetitive or iterative methods are examined: Bernoulli's method, the root-squaring method, and the Newton-Raphson method. Experience with the EDSAC has shown that, as in hand computing, quadratically convergent methods are to be preferred to those less rapidly convergent. In particular, the Newton-Raphson method has proved the most useful. Several examples are given in the appendix.