PolyRoot is a software that works alongside RPN Calculator and helps to determine the roots of polynomials up to a maximum degree of 10.
PolyRoot utilizes the same text parsing code as RPNC, allowing it to read and write complex coefficients in numerous forms. It can interpret rectangular or polar coefficients entered in degrees or radians. Simply remember that they should appear as a + i b or m @ arg. Adding a º symbol or d or deg will enforce the argument to be interpreted as degrees.
With PolyRoot, you can integrate seamlessly with RPN Calculator through copy & paste or drag & drop. It is essentially an extension of RPN Calculator. The reason for a separate application is that the problem of finding roots is NOT trivial, and RPNC was already getting too large without adding this functionality! Furthermore, a unique app allows for a few more elegant ideas to be used, such as the way PolyRoot resizes itself in height (automatic) and width (manual).
PolyRoot uses several techniques for finding roots, taking into account the degree of the polynomial equation. The software utilizes methods shown in Chapter 5 of Numerical Recipes, Second Edition, with the exception of the Degree 1 case, where simple real or complex division is used. For example, quadratic formula, sort of used for Degree 2 (parabolas), to avoid roundoff errors when b² is close to 4*a*c in magnitude. If you’re looking for additional information, the Numerical Recipes website is an excellent resource.
PolyRoot’s higher-than-degree four equations can use the Laguerre iterative routine with root polishing. In terms of restrictions, an RPN Calculator is required to utilize PolyRoot. Overall, PolyRoot is an incredibly valuable tool offering extreme flexibility and mathematical robustness.
Version 1.56: N/A