In
mathematics, approximation theory is concerned with how
functions can best be
approximated with simpler
functions, and with
quantitatively characterising the
errors introduced thereby. Note that what is meant by best and simpler will depend on the application.One problem of particular interest is that of approximating a function in a
computer mathematical library, using operations that can be performed on the computer or calculator (e.g. addition and multiplication), such that the result is as close to the actual function as possible. This is typically done with
polynomial or
rational (ratio of polynomials) approximations.
See more at Wikipedia.org...