Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / Paper 1 / 19 / b / ii

The cobweb plot uses the curve $v=\sqrt{2+u}$ and the diagonal $v=u$. From a point on the diagonal, a vertical step to the curve computes the next iterate; a horizontal step returns its value to the diagonal.

For $0\le u<2$, $(2+u)-u^2=(2-u)(1+u)>0$, so $u<\sqrt{2+u}<2$. Thus a start below $2$ gives a strictly increasing sequence bounded above by $2$. For $u>2$ the inequalities reverse to $2<\sqrt{2+u}<u$, giving a strictly decreasing sequence bounded below by $2$. Both types of staircase approach the same intersection.

The bounded monotone sequence theorem proves existence of a limit, and continuity then makes it a nonnegative fixed point. Part (i) givesThis proves the global convergence of a square-root iteration; the graph below illustrates both cases without relying on a finite numerical sample as proof.