Math Problem Statement

Give a real number X, i heard that we can find best rational approximation of X (denominator <= a given integer) with continued fraction ? Can you give me javascript code to calculate this best rational approximation ?

Solution

Yes, you can find the best rational approximation of a real number XX using continued fractions. The basic idea is to generate the continued fraction representation of XX and then use it to derive the best rational approximations with denominators constrained by a given integer.

Here’s a JavaScript code snippet that accomplishes this:

javascript
function continuedFraction(x, maxDenominator) { let a0 = Math.floor(x); let numerator = a0; let denominator = 1; let fractions = [[a0, 1]]; // Start with the integer part x -= a0; // Remove the integer part while (x !== 0 && denominator <= maxDenominator) { x = 1 / x; // Take the reciprocal let ai = Math.floor(x); fractions.push([ai, 1]); // Update the fractions let newNumerator = ai * numerator + (fractions[fractions.length - 2] ? fractions[fractions.length - 2][0] : 0); let newDenominator = ai * denominator + (fractions[fractions.length - 2] ? fractions[fractions.length - 2][1] : 1); numerator = newNumerator; denominator = newDenominator; x -= ai; // Remove the integer part of the reciprocal } // Filter the fractions to keep only those with denominators <= maxDenominator return fractions.filter(f => f[1] <= maxDenominator).map(f => { return { numerator: f[0], denominator: f[1] }; }); } // Example usage: const x = 3.14159; // The real number const maxDenominator = 10; // Maximum allowed denominator const approximations = continuedFraction(x, maxDenominator); console.log(approximations);

Explanation:

  1. continuedFraction function: This function takes a real number xx and a maximum denominator as inputs.
  2. Integer Part Extraction: It first extracts the integer part of xx and initializes the fractions array with this value.
  3. Loop: It generates the continued fraction terms by taking reciprocals until the maximum denominator is reached or xx becomes zero.
  4. Filtering: After generating the fractions, it filters out any fractions where the denominator exceeds the specified limit.

You can test this code by changing the values of x and maxDenominator in the example usage.

Do you want more details or have any questions? Here are some related questions you might consider:

  1. How does the continued fraction representation relate to the properties of irrational numbers?
  2. Can this method be used for any real number, including negative ones?
  3. What are the limitations of rational approximations?
  4. How can you visualize the convergence of continued fractions?
  5. What are other methods for finding rational approximations?

Tip: Always test with various numbers to see how well the approximations work against their true values.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Continued Fractions
Rational Approximations
Real Numbers

Formulas

Continued fraction representation of a real number

Theorems

Best rational approximation theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 11-12