Equally spaced interpolation Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-11-05
Equally spaced interpolation constructs an interpolant from data at nodes . It is convenient when measurements or a computational grid already have uniform spacing. The degree-at-most- polynomial interpolant through distinct nodes is unique, but uniqueness does not imply good approximation as increases.
For on , high-degree polynomial interpolation at equally spaced nodes exhibits Runge's phenomenon near the endpoints. Chebyshev nodes reduce that endpoint instability by clustering there; piecewise spline interpolation offers another alternative. The data locations and the degree must therefore be treated as approximation choices, rather than assuming that more uniformly spaced data always improve a global polynomial.