# Solve a fraction when the denominator approaches zero?

GROUPS:
 I have a function (1+b)^2/Sqrt[1-b^2] that I need to solve as b->1, where b is real. The calculation exceeds the precision that Mathematica is using and I am not sure how to increase the precision if I use Solve...or even if this is the best way to get a solution. Is there another way of approaching the solution to this function from a purely analytical approach or using complex variables?Regards,Luther
3 months ago
17 Replies
 Daniel Lichtblau 4 Votes What do you mean by "solve"? Are you looking for the limiting value? Fi so, it blows up (that is, goes to plus or minus infinity depending on the direction of approach).
3 months ago
 Sorry. I want to know what the values are as b->1 with b<1 but arbitrarily close to unity. I have a value I am looking for and wish to find b to solve the function for the large target value. In fact, the target value is so large that Mathematica will not solve the function because the denominator becomes so small.
3 months ago
 I understand you have a function f given by the following equation e1 In[1]:= e1 = f == (1 + b)^2/Sqrt[1 - b^2] Out[1]= f == (1 + b)^2/Sqrt[1 - b^2] I square both sides and obtain e2 = #^2 & /@ e1 f^2 == (1 + b)^4/(1 - b^2) Having in mind that ( 1 - b^2 ) = ( 1 - b ) ( 1 + b ) you may guess that you will arrive at an equation with b^3. FullSimplify does the job In[3]:= e3 = e2 // FullSimplify Out[3]= (1 + b)^3/(-1 + b) + f^2 == 0 Now use e4 = Solve[e3, b] and you will get three equations for b (two with imaginary parts) which give you b when you plug in f. With Mathematica's numerical power this should give you an answer to your question.For example Block[{$MaxExtraPrecision = 500}, N[e4[[1]] /. f -> 10^80, 6000]]  Answer 3 months ago  Welcome to Wolfram Community! Please make sure you know the rules: https://wolfr.am/READ-1ST Please post your full code of what you are trying to do. Answer 3 months ago  ff = ((1 + b)^2)/Sqrt[1 - b*b] (1 + b)^2/Sqrt[1 - b^2] LogLogPlot[ff, {b, .9999999999999999999, .99999999999999999999}] The limits of the plot are arbitrary here but need to be many nines larger for the circumstances I am looking for.I originally tried Solve[ff-.99999999999999==0,b] and the solution was undefined by Mathematica. My solution should be at about 25 nines, but that is a guess at this point, since I cannot find an exact solution. If there is a non-Mathematica process that could be used, I am not familiar with it.Luther Answer 3 months ago  Please make sure you know read all rules: https://wolfr.am/READ-1ST The rules explain how to format your code properly. If you do not format code, it may become corrupted and useless to other members. Please EDIT your posts and make sure code blocks start on a new paragraph and look framed and colored like this. int = Integrate[1/(x^3 - 1), x]; Map[Framed, int, Infinity]  Answer 3 months ago  The text I input was copied right out of the Mathematica worksheet, so it is the code I was executing.It was not my intention to have the code executed. I was looking for information on if and whether Mathematica could be used to solve such a problem that borders on the pathological. I also did not want to open the discussion onto why I am trying to do this particular calculation. Answer 3 months ago  Have you tried taking a limit as b approaches 1 from the left side? Answer 3 months ago  Yes, since b<1. It is confusing since 0.99 is smaller than 0.999. Answer 3 months ago  Daniel Lichtblau 2 Votes I'm not sure what is confusing about .99 being less than .999, or what that might have to do with taking a limit (which is what I had asked). I will add that the entire thread has been remarkably murky in terms of stating what exactly is wanted and what exactly has been tried. Let me comment on some related issues that I believe are being raised.(1) Precision in a plot range. The input shown in an earlier post does not produce a plot (this fact, and the error message, should have been noted in that post). ff = ((1 + b)^2)/Sqrt[1 - b^2] LogLogPlot[ff, {b, .9999999999999999999, .99999999999999999999}] (* During evaluation of In[122]:= Plot::plld: Endpoints for b in {b,0.9999999999999999999,0.99999999999999999999} must have distinct machine-precision numerical values. Out[122]= LogLogPlot[ff, {b, 0.9999999999999999999, 0.99999999999999999999}] *) What to do about it? One remedy is to widen the range. You can let the right bound be 1 for example. This next will give a picture that might be informative. LogLogPlot[ff, {b, .9999, 1}, PlotRange -> All] (2) Solving runs into precision problems. This can be alleviated by explicitly using higher precision in the input. Notice the back-tic in the input below. It parses the input number to 20 digits precision. Solve[ff - .9999999999999920 == 0, b] (* Out[111]= {{b -> -5.00000000000006875*10^-15}} *) (3) More confusion. If the interest is in b approaching 1, that's not the same thing as ff being close to 1. So the use of Solve seems unhelpful for the stated problem (as best I can interpret it). I would guess what is wanted is for ff to be large and then find b. This requires considerable precision, roughly twice as many digits in for the number you want out. Some analysis of the expression might help to explain this (e.g. expand in Puisiux series centered at b=1). Anyway, here is an example. Notice the decimal point is at the right rather than left side of the value for ff. NSolve[ff - 99999999999999999999.40 == 0, b] (* Out[139]= {{b -> 0.9999999999999999999999999999999999999992}} *)  Answer 3 months ago  Yes...we are getting where I hopped to get. I do not have the background or vocabulary in Mathematica to be specific on what I am trying to do. You introduced some syntax that I was unfamiliar with but does get to the correct approach. I was only plotting "in the region of a solution" because I could not solve the equation with enough precision to get the answer I wanted.In #2 above, b -> a negative value. It should be positive. Otherwise, you have solved my problem and answered my question.If you are curious as to why I am making this calculation, let me know and I will attach a short document describing what I am looking for. It is a physics problem associated with modern technologies, which I would have posted in the physics section if I had wanted a discussion on the physics and how to use Mathematica to solve some technology modeling issues.Thank you, though, for taking the time to answer this posting. Answer 3 months ago  Ok, I might not understand the point of this discussion, but you appear not to be interested in Limit[(1 + b)^2/Sqrt[1 - b^2], b -> 1, Direction -> "FromBelow"] or Limit[(1 + b)^2/Sqrt[1 - b^2], b -> 1, Direction -> "FromAbove"] which is what Daniel suggests early on. Here is a different way of writing what Daniel has done in a much shorter way. First, I try to figure out for which "b" I get a certain value: $MaxPrecision = 550 sols = Solve[ff == c, b] The first solution is the real valued solution. Now you can use: sols[[1]] /. SetPrecision[c -> 9999999999999999999999999, 450] and obtain something identical (plus/minus a couple of digits) as the simpler code before: NSolve[ff - 9999999999999999999999999.450 == 0, b] You can get really close to the pole: \$MaxPrecision = 950 sols[[1]] /. SetPrecision[c -> 9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999, 850] `I do not really have an easy means of verifying these numbers though. How close to the pole do you want to go?There are not many applications, I am aware of, that need to such a high precision though, so I would like to hear of yours. Always nice to be able to tell students why one would need these high precisions "in real life".Best wishes,Marco
3 months ago
 This seems to be essentially the same what I noted above....... :)
3 months ago
 Oops, sorry, had not seen that.BW,MarcoPS: I'd still like to see the "application of this".