From help-request at octave dot org Sun Feb  6 20:30:53 2005
Subject: Re: two quadratic eq, please help
From: Geordie McBain <geordie dot mcbain at aeromech dot usyd dot edu dot au>
To: Vic Norton <vic at norton dot name>
Cc: help at octave dot org
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 12:20:48 -0500

On Sun, Feb 06, 2005 at 09:02:34PM -0500, Vic Norton wrote:
> So we have proved that a quadratic equation can have two solutions. I 
> will really be impressed if octave can find more than two! ;-)
> 
> My question is this. Why should one bother using a high powered 
> numerical language for an elementary exercise?
> 
> This is a philosophical point. Personally I believe it is important 
> to recognize trivialities, no matter the power of the machinery you 
> have at hand. Two circles can intersect in two points, one point, or 
> they might not intersect at all. That is all we are talking about 
> here. Anybody with a hand calculator should be able to figure out 
> where these two circles intersect (if they intersect at all). To hell 
> with high level numerical languages.
> 
> That is my two bits worth.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Vic

I agree, Vic; horses for courses, and analytical methods are to be
preferred over numerical methods whenever applicable.

I only posted the fsolve method to advertise and demonstrate it.
Sometimes people post problems to this list that are simpler than the
problems they're really interested in; indeed, that's a good thing, as
it's briefer and clearer.  If instead of two quadratic equations one
had two general nonlinear equations, the analysis could be difficult
or impossible, and fsolve the way to go.

Geordie McBain



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