Taylor Series

Observe how the number of terms in a Taylor Series improves the approximation to a function. The function shown is and the Taylor series is determined around the point . Click the various check boxes to see the effect of adding more terms in the Taylor series. Move the slider to see the effect of taking a Taylor series around the point for some non-zero value of . You can consider different functions by typing the function into the input box. For example, to study the Taylor series for the cosine function enter 'f(x) = cos(x)' at the prompt. You might need to move the origin or adjust the zoom to best view the different terms or functions.