Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/ib/paper-1/18d/b/solution

Insert an exact solution into the linear multistep method and use . Its local residual is
Expanding both terms by Taylor theorem gives
Consequently is sufficient for order at least . It is also necessary: test the residual on the polynomials , evaluating at . For , it equals (and equals for the constant), which can be only if . These functions can be realized as exact solutions of suitable smooth ordinary differential equations, so this is a genuine necessity test. Thus the order conditions are
This is a statement about local order; zero-stability is the separate condition that turns it into convergent approximation.

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