CAIE P3 2008 November — Question 9

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP3 (Pure Mathematics 3)
Year2008
SessionNovember
TopicFixed Point Iteration

9 The constant \(a\) is such that \(\int _ { 0 } ^ { a } x \mathrm { e } ^ { \frac { 1 } { 2 } x } \mathrm {~d} x = 6\).
  1. Show that \(a\) satisfies the equation $$x = 2 + \mathrm { e } ^ { - \frac { 1 } { 2 } x } .$$
  2. By sketching a suitable pair of graphs, show that this equation has only one root.
  3. Verify by calculation that this root lies between 2 and 2.5.
  4. Use an iterative formula based on the equation in part (i) to calculate the value of \(a\) correct to 2 decimal places. Give the result of each iteration to 4 decimal places.