Skip to main content
Log in

Abstract

The trouble with Newton's method for finding the roots of a complex polynomial is knowing where to start the iteration. In this paper we apply the theory of rational maps and some estimates based on distortion theorems for univalent functions to find lower bounds, depending only on the degreed, for the size of regions from which the iteration will certainly converge to a root. We can also bound the number of iterations required and we give a method that works for every polynomial and takes at most some constant timesd 2(logd)2 log(d 3/∈) iterations to find one root to within an accuracy of ∈.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. B. Barna, “Uber die Divergenzpunkte des Newtonschen Verfahrens zur Bestimmung von Wurzeln algebraischen Gleichungen II, Publ. Math. Debrecen, 4 (1956), 384–397.

    Google Scholar 

  2. P. Blanchard, Complex analytic dynamics on the Riemann sphere, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 11 (1984), 85–141.

    Google Scholar 

  3. A. Cayley, On the Newton-Fourier imaginary problem, Proc. Cam. Phil. Soc., 3 (1880), 231–232 or Collected Mathematical Papers XI, p. 143 Cambridge University Press 1896.

    Google Scholar 

  4. P. Duren, Univalent functions, Springer, New York, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  5. J. Friedman, On the convergence of Newton's method, Journal of Complexity, 5 (1989), 12–33.

    Google Scholar 

  6. M. Hurley, Multiple attractors in Newton's method, Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys., 6 (1986), 561–569.

    Google Scholar 

  7. M. Hurley & C. Martin, Newton's algorithm and chaotic dynamical systems, SIAM J. Math. Anal., 15 (1984), 238–252.

    Google Scholar 

  8. H.W. Kuhn, Z. Wang & S. Xu, On the cost of computing roots of polynomials, Math. Programming, 28 (1984), 156–163.

    Google Scholar 

  9. M. Marden, Geometry of polynomials, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence R.I., 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  10. H.-O. Peitgen, D. Saupe & F.v. Haeseler, Cayley's problem and Julia sets, Math. Intelligencer, 6 (1984), 11–20.

    Google Scholar 

  11. H.-O. Peitgen & P.H. Richter, The beauty of fractals, Springer Berlin, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  12. G. Peters & J.H. Wilkinson, Practical problems arising in the solution of polynomial equations, Jour. Inst. Math. Appl., 8 (1971), 16–35.

    Google Scholar 

  13. F. Przytycki, Remarks on the simple connectedness of basins of sinks for iterations of rational maps, in Dynamical Systems and Ergodic Theory, ed. K. Krzyzewski, Polish Scientific Publishers, Warsaw, 1989, 229–235.

    Google Scholar 

  14. J. Renegar, On the worst-case arithmetic complexity of approximating zeros of polynomials, J. Complexity, 3 (1987), 90–113.

    Google Scholar 

  15. D. Saari & J. Urenko, Newton's method, circle maps and chaotic motion, Amer. Math. Monthly, 91 (1984), 3–17.

    Google Scholar 

  16. M. Shub & S. Smale, Computational complexity: on the geometry of polynomials and a theory of cost I, Ann. Sci. Ecole Norm. Sup., 18 (1985), 107–142.

    Google Scholar 

  17. M. Shub & S. Smale, Computational complexity: on the geometry of polynomials and a theory of cost II, SIAM J. Comp., 15 (1986), 145–161.

    Google Scholar 

  18. S. Smale, The fundamental theorem of algebra and complexity theory, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 4 (1981), 1–36.

    Google Scholar 

  19. S. Smale, On the efficiency of algorithms of analysis, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 13 (1985), 87–121.

    Google Scholar 

  20. S. Sutherland, Finding roots of complex polynomials with Newton's method, Thesis, Boston University, 1989.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

About this article

Cite this article

Manning, A. How to be sure of finding a root of a complex polynomial using Newton's method. Bol. Soc. Bras. Mat 22, 157–177 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01232940

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01232940

Keywords

Navigation