AQA C3 2011 January — Question 2

Exam BoardAQA
ModuleC3 (Core Mathematics 3)
Year2011
SessionJanuary
TopicFixed Point Iteration

2 A curve is defined by the equation \(y = \left( x ^ { 2 } - 4 \right) \ln ( x + 2 )\) for \(x \geqslant 3\).
The curve intersects the line \(y = 15\) at a single point, where \(x = \alpha\).
  1. Show that \(\alpha\) lies between 3.5 and 3.6.
  2. Show that the equation \(\left( x ^ { 2 } - 4 \right) \ln ( x + 2 ) = 15\) can be arranged into the form $$x = \pm \sqrt { 4 + \frac { 15 } { \ln ( x + 2 ) } }$$ (2 marks)
  3. Use the iteration $$x _ { n + 1 } = \sqrt { 4 + \frac { 15 } { \ln \left( x _ { n } + 2 \right) } }$$ with \(x _ { 1 } = 3.5\) to find the values of \(x _ { 2 }\) and \(x _ { 3 }\), giving your answers to three decimal places.
    (2 marks)