Newton-Iteration
Newton-Iteration is an approximation method for the calculation of a zero of ƒ(x). If an initial value x0 is entered, which is close enough to the desired zero, then the next approximation calculated is the intersection of the tangent to the graph of ƒ in the point P(x0|ƒ(x0)) with the x-axis.

This leads to the recursion formula
The procedure converges, if ƒ(x0) · ƒ "(x0)>0
is valid for x0.
Example:
ƒ(x) = x-cos(x) x ƒ(x) ƒ'(x) ———————— —————— —————— x0 = 1 x1 = 0,75036387 0,45969769 1,841471 x2 = 0,73911289 0,018923074 1,681905 x3 = 0,73908513 0,00004646 1,6736325 x4 = 0,73908513 0,00000000 1,673612
See also:
Supported FunctionsWikipedia: Newton's method