Numerical Integration

Abstract

Numerical integration formulae, or quadrature formulae, are methods for the approximate evaluation of definite integrals. They are needed for the computation of those integrals for which either the antiderivative of the integrand cannot be expressed in terms of elementary functions or for which the integrand is available only at discrete points, for example from experimental data. In addition and even more important, quadrature formulae provide a basic and important tool for the numerical solution of differential and integral equations, as we shall see in Chapters 10, 11, and 12.