M371 - Alexiades
      Problem Set 5:   Numerical Differentiation

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Consider the four data points:

x:	0	1	2	3
y:	9	8	5	7

They are assumed to be values of some function f(x).

Approximate f '(1) (the first derivative of f at x=1)
a. by a forward difference.
b. by a backward difference.
c. by a centered difference.
d. Which one would you "trust" most ? why ?