Differential Equation Methods JavaScript Simulation Applet HTML5

This simple simulation helps to visualize the different numerical methods of solving differential equations.

The three methods that this simulation provides are the Euler method, the Heun method (otherwise known as the Improved Euler method), and the Runge-Kutta method (specifically RK4).

There are two graphs shown in the simulation. The one of the left shows visually how well each method approximates the equation y = e^x, while the graph on the right shows the relative deviation of each method from the actual curve formed by y = e^x

Each numerical method of solving the differential equation y' = y is color-coded as shown on both graphs:

The number of intervals (steps) can be adjusted with the slider at the top, going up to n = 25. The button at the top right resets the simulation.

As the number of intervals increase, note how the approximations become more accurate to the original curve.