Taylor & Maclaurin Series

Taylor & Maclaurin Series

Okay, I know this looks crazy complicated, but I promise it is not nearly as bad as it looks!

The video to the left does a nice job explaining the process with a really simple example. The best way to learn this is to see examples worked out, so that's why there are three videos for your viewing pleasure.

Be aware that in this video, he makes a mistake when calculating the 3rd derivative! He doesn't catch it until the very end.

Basic Procedure*Calculate enough derivatives of the given function so that you are able to notice a pattern.*Evaluate the derivatives at the given value for a.*Plug the values for the derivatives and the value for a into the formula for the Taylor Series.*If necessary, try to notice the pattern and generalize it to be written in summation notation.

Even though they have two different names, Taylor and Maclaurin Series are really the same thing. The only difference is that for a Maclaurin Series, a=0.