Lagrange Polynomial

Lagrange Polynomial

In numerical analysis, Lagrange polynomials are used for polynomial interpolation. For a given set of distinct points and numbers, the Lagrange polynomial is the polynomial of the least degree that at each point assumes the corresponding value (i.e. the functions coincide at each point). The interpolating polynomial of the least degree is unique, however, and it is therefore more appropriate to speak of "the Lagrange form" of that unique polynomial rather than "the Lagrange interpolation polynomial," since the same polynomial can be arrived at through multiple methods. Although named after Joseph Louis Lagrange, who published it in 1795, it was first discovered in 1779 by Edward Waring and it is also an easy consequence of a formula published in 1783 by Leonhard Euler.

Lagrange interpolation is susceptible to Runge's phenomenon, and the fact that changing the interpolation points requires recalculating the entire interpolant can make Newton polynomials easier to use. Lagrange polynomials are used in the Newton–Cotes method of numerical integration and in Shamir's secret sharing scheme in cryptography.