Finite difference - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_differenceThe forward difference can be considered as an operator, called the difference operator, which maps the function f to Δh[ f ]. This operator amounts to where Th is the shift operator with step h, defined by Th[ f ](x) = f (x + h), and I is the identity operator. The finite difference of higher orders can be defined in recursive manner as Δ h ≡ Δh(Δ h). Anoth…
Finite Difference -- from Wolfram MathWorld
mathworld.wolfram.com › FiniteDifferenceDec 17, 2021 · The finite difference is the discrete analog of the derivative. The finite forward difference of a function f_p is defined as Deltaf_p=f_(p+1)-f_p, (1) and the finite backward difference as del f_p=f_p-f_(p-1). (2) The forward finite difference is implemented in the Wolfram Language as DifferenceDelta[f, i]. If the values are tabulated at spacings h, then the notation f_p=f(x_0+ph)=f(x) (3) is ...
The forward difference
pages.mtu.edu › ~msgocken › ma5630spring2003This suggests that there is an absolute limit to the accuracy with which a forward difference can approximate a derivative, namely In fact, however, there is a more stringent restriction on h . The fuction f cannot be computed exactly in finite precision arithmetic and so the computed value of f ( x ) generally differs from the exact value.