Solution

Formula [2] provides a quadratic polynomial approximation p₂(x) for the function f(x).

[2]

We have

[s1]

so

	[s2]
	[s3]

Valuing [s1], [s2], and [s3] at = 0, we obtain values 0, 1, and 2 respectively. Substituting these values into [2], we obtain the quadratic approximation

[s4]

[Return]