Fractals/Continued fraction: Difference between revisions

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=Notation=
=Notation=
== Basic formula ==
== Basic formula ==
A continued fraction is an expression of the form
A continued fraction<ref>[http://file.scirp.org/Html/4-7402078_44811.htm Continued Fractions and Dynamics by Stefano Isola]</ref> is an expression of the form


:<math>a_0 + \cfrac{b_1}{a_1 + \cfrac{b_2}{a_2 + \cfrac{b_3}{a_3 + {_\ddots}}}}</math>
:<math>a_0 + \cfrac{b_1}{a_1 + \cfrac{b_2}{a_2 + \cfrac{b_3}{a_3 + {_\ddots}}}}</math>

Revision as of 20:04, 21 May 2018

            "Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater." Albert Einstein

Notation

Basic formula

A continued fraction[1] is an expression of the form

where :

  • and are either integers, rational numbers, real numbers, or complex numbers.
  • , etc., are called the coefficients or terms of the continued fraction

Variants or types :

  • If for all the expression is called a simple continued fraction.
  • If the expression contains a finite number of terms, it is called a finite continued fraction.
  • If the expression contains an infinite number of terms, it is called an infinite continued fraction.[2]

Thus, all of the following illustrate valid finite simple continued fractions:

Examples of finite simple continued fractions
Formula Numeric Remarks
All integers are a degenerate case
Simplest possible fractional form
First integer may be negative
First integer may be zero

Finite simple continued fractions

Notation :

 

Every finite continued fraction represents a rational number :

  

Infinite continued fractions

Notation :

 

Every infinite continued fraction is irrational number  :

 

The rational number obtained by limited number of terms in a continued fraction is called a n-th convergent

  

because sequence of rational numbers converges to irrational number

 

In other words irrational number is the limit of convergent sequence.

Key words :

  • the sequence of continued fraction convergents of irrational number
  • sequence of the convergents
  • continued fraction expansion
  • rational aproximation of irrational number
  • a best rational approximation to a real number r by rational number p/q

How to use it in computer programs

Maxima CAS

In Maxima CAS one have cf and float(cfdisrep())

(%i2) a:[0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1]
(%o2) [0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1]
(%i3) t:cfdisrep(a)
(%o3) 1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/(1+1/1))))))))))))))))))))))
(%i4) float(t)
(%o4) 0.618033988957902

Examples

See also

Help

References

  1. Continued Fractions and Dynamics by Stefano Isola
  2. Darren C. Collins, Continued Fractions, MIT Undergraduate Journal of Mathematics,[1]
  3. continued fractions based functions over the complex plane
  4. continued-fractions-with-applications by L. Lorentzen H. Waadeland