Show at least two different ways to prove that the equation x = 2−x has
exactly one real solution.

  1. (10 points) Suppose f ∈ C[a, b], that x1 ≤ x2 . . . ≤ xn are in [a, b]. Show that there
    exists a number ξ between x1 and xn with, f(ξ) = 1
    n
    Xn
    i=1
    f(xi).
  2. (10 points) Suppose function f has a continuous third derivative. Show that:





    −3f(x) + 4f(x + h) − f(x + 2h)
    2h
    − f
    0
    (x)





    ≤ ch2
    .
  3. (10 points) As h → 0, find the rate of convergence of the function
    F(h) =
    sin h − h +
    h
    3
    6
    h
    5
    .
  4. (25 points) Consider the function f(x) = ln(x).
    (a) Find the Taylor polynomial of degree n about x0 = 1. Write the simplified
    expressions for the polynomial approximation Pn(x) and the remainder Rn(x).
    Write a computer program (in MATLAB or PYTHON) to approximate f(x) by
    the polynomial approximation for n terms. Include in your code a plot of the
    true function f(x) compared to the linear, quadratic and cubic approximations.
    Attach a copy of the code and output.
    (b) Find the degree n that will guarantee an accuracy of 10−3 when ln(1.5) is approximated by Pn(1.5) using the result from part(a).
  5. (25 points) Consider the sequence {xk} defined by xk+1 =
    x
    2
    k + 9
    2xk
    , k = 0, 1, 2, . . . ,.
    (a) Show that for the initial guess x0 = 4, the sequence has a limit x
    ∗ = 3.
    (b) Show that the convergence of the sequence to the limit x
    ∗ = 3 is quadratic.
    (c) Write a computer program (in MATLAB or PYTHON) that will implement the
    recursive relation to compute the first 10 terms of the sequence and print them.
    Attach a copy of the code and output.
  6. (25 points) Consider finding the integral: I(x) = Z x
    0
    sin(t
    2
    ) dt. While this integral
    cannot be evaluated in terms of elementary functions, the following approximating
    technique may however be used.
    (a) Derive a Taylor Series expansion about x = 0 for I(x).
    (b) Write a computer program (in MATLAB or PYTHON) to approximate I(x) by
    the approximation in part (a) for n terms. Use the program to plot the approximation of I(x) for 2 terms, for 5 terms and for 10 terms. Plot the three approximate
    functions respectively by plotting over the domain [0, 1]. Attach a copy of the
    code and output.

Sample Solution

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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