1. Introduction
Differential equations with an appropriate set of conditions are key tools in modeling a plethora of real-world phenomena including engineering problems. It is crucial to have a clear understanding of the behavior and stability of solutions to these differential equations. Many numerical methods have been introduced to find an approximate solution for those cases. In this study, we propose a block hybrid method for the numerical solution of third-order initial value problems (IVPs) of the form
where the prime denotes the derivative with respect to the independent variable
z, and
f is a continuous linear or nonlinear function in the interval
.
Block hybrid algorithms are a class of numerical methods that blend linear multi-step approaches with interpolation using power series. These techniques were first introduced by Gragg and Stetter [
1] and Shampine and Watts [
2] and involve the inclusion of an additional point within each step of the formula. This allows for more precise approximations of solutions to differential equations, as well as gives better convergence rates. Since the pioneering work of Gear [
3], block methods have been extensively studied and used in the literature to solve initial value problems and boundary value problems. Motsa [
4] proposed an overlapping grid hybrid block method with equally spaced and optimal grid points for linear and nonlinear first-order IVPs. He found that the overlapping grid approach gave better performance than the standard non-overlapping grid in terms of reducing the local truncation error. Shateyi [
5] applied a block hybrid method with equally spaced grid points to solve linear and nonlinear first-order IVPs. He reported that equally spaced grid points provided high rates of convergence outperforming the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method [
6]. Orakwelu [
7] developed an implicit block hybrid method for solving first-, second-, and third-order IVPs. He investigated the convergence rates, accuracy, and robustness of implicit block hybrid algorithms. He further investigated the performance of these algorithms when various countable off-points were imposed between grid points in the derivation process. El-Hawary and Mahmoud [
8] presented the spline functions with four collocation points to solve second-order IVPs. They showed that the spline collocation scheme is convergent with order seven under certain conditions on the collocation point parameters. They found that the stability properties of the method are analyzed rigorously, and regions of absolute stability are determined based on the parameter values.
Various iterative techniques have been discussed for solving initial value and boundary value problems in ordinary and partial differential equations [
9,
10]. These iterative methods yield the solution or an approximation of it through a sequence of successive iterations. In the case of initial value problems, these iterative approaches can be formulated either in an integral or differential manner [
11]. These approaches linearize the nonlinear equations governing the problem around the previous iteration, leading to linear differential equations at each step [
12]. However, the coefficients of these equations may vary with the independent variable, necessitating numerical methods for obtaining the approximation solution.
In this study, we are motivated by the work in [
4] and propose a block hybrid method for third-order IVPs with equally spaced grid points. Several strategies have been developed in the literature to solve third-order IVPs. For example, Osa et al. [
13] used a multi-step block implicit hybrid method. They reported that the block method performed better than predictor–corrector methods [
14] in terms of being more time-efficient, cost-effective, and accurate. Rufai and Ramos [
15] modified the block method using variable step sizes instead of equally spaced points. They reported that the technique was efficient in terms of computational time and minimized truncation errors. Orakwelu et al. [
16] proposed a single-step hybrid block method for solving third-order ODEs without first converting to an analogous first-order system. They reported that the scheme can be implemented without the use of starting values or predictors, avoiding the necessity for complex subroutines method. Several other authors have utilized the equal step size procedure for solving the third-order IVPs [
17,
18,
19].
Block hybrid methods, used to solve differential equations, are primarily applicable to linear equations. However, when dealing with nonlinear equations, the method necessitates a preliminary step of linearization before its implementation. This prerequisite ensures the effectiveness and accuracy of methods when applied to nonlinear equations. In this study, we developed an intra-step equally spaced grid point block hybrid method that is used in conjunction with the simple iteration method (SIM) to solve third-order IVPs. They demonstrated that the SIM linearization technique generates accurate solutions for nonlinear differential equations [
20]. The SIM approach is based on transforming a nonlinear ordinary differential equation into an iterative scheme made up of linear equations, which are then solved using a block hybrid method numerical approach. Linearization methods based on truncated Taylor series approximations are employed to simplify the nonlinear terms of nonlinear differential equations. Relaxation methods based on the assumption that nonlinear terms are known from previous iterations can also be used to convert a nonlinear problem to a linear discretizable problem. Newton-based linearization techniques such as the quasi-linearization method [
21], local linearization method [
22], Keller-box method [
23], and relaxation method [
24], have extensively been used to linearize differential equations. All these methods are based on one-term Taylor series expansion and are thereby susceptible to series truncation errors even before errors associated with the numerical method used to solve the linearised problem. In this paper, we propose a method that seeks to circumvent the problem of errors associated with linearization. The proposed method uses ideas akin to those of fixed point iteration to develop iterative schemes, called Simple Iteration Methods (SIMs), for solving nonlinear differential equations. Moreover, SIMs are easy to implement. We show the effectiveness of the proposed method (referred to as the SIM-BHM) through numerical experiments, demonstrating that it gives fast convergence and accurate solutions.
4. Implementation and Computational Procedure of the Proposed SIM-BHM
In this section, we present solutions to third-order IVPs (
1)–(
2) using the novel SIM-BHM iterative method. In order to evaluate the convergence of the method, we have evaluated the absolute error (AE) and absolute error estimate (AEE) between two consecutive iterations. Suppose
and
are the approximate solutions. The absolute error is defined as
We compute the absolute error estimate between two consecutive iterations using the following terms
where
s represents the solution at the corresponding iteration. We enforce the following conditional stopping procedure in the SIM-BHM iterative method:
If , the current iteration solutions are deemed satisfactory, and the SIM-BHM proceeds to the next block.
If , the iteration count is incremented, and the SIM-BHM continues within the same block.
Here, represents the user-defined tolerance. Within each block, the method iterates until the error falls below . Once the converges to within an acceptable criteria, the procedure advances to the next block or concludes the computation. By applying this conditional structure, we ensure that the accuracy of our solutions is systematically improved within each block, thereby enhancing control and precision in our numerical computations.
Algorithm
To illustrate how to implement this SIM-BHM, we demonstrate an algorithm with the steps provided below:
- 1.
Define function
Input: Initial value problem function , interval , number of blocks N, tolerance , number of intra-step points m.
Output: Approximate solution for .
- 2.
Linearization scheme
Linearize
f by using Equation (
8).
- 3.
Discretization
- 4.
Collocation points
Generate a set of
fractions in Equation (
10).
Calculate collocation points within each block using Equation (
11).
- 5.
Approximate solutions
Approximate the solutions within each block using a polynomial of degree
in Equations (
12)–(
14), which satisfies Equations (
1) and (
2).
- 6.
Collocation equations
Set up collocation equations and the initial conditions within each block based on Equations (
15)–(
18).
Solve the system obtained from collocation Equations (
15)–(
18) to obtain coefficients
.
- 7.
Initialize iteration
- 8.
Solve equations
Solve the system of equations obtained from collocation Equations (
20)–(
22) to obtain approximation solutions.
- 9.
Iterate
- 10.
Output
5. Numerical Experimentation
In the next section, we test the method by implementing the SIM-BHM with some specific third-order IVPs from the literature.
Example 1. Consider the linear third-order IVP [13,17,18,19] This IVP has the exact solution: .
Here, we selected , and to implement the SIM-BHM6 scheme, we defined In
Table 2, we compare the maximum absolute errors of the SIM-BHM6 method with different variants of the hybrid block method [
13,
17,
18,
19]. Adesanya et al. [
17] used the block method with six collocation points, Areo et al. [
18] used the one-twelfth multi-step block method, Skwame et al. [
19] used the equally spaced block method with five collocation points, and Osa et al. [
13] used the multi-step block method with fifth–fourth collocation points. It is evident that the SIM-BHM6 consistently outperforms the existing block methods in terms of reducing maximum absolute errors.
Figure 4 showcases the number of iterations required in each block. The result provides strong evidence of the impressive convergence properties of SIM-BHM6, achieving good accuracy in just two iterations when
across all blocks, as shown in
Figure 4a,b. It is particularly noteworthy that the method attains a high level of accuracy while maintaining computational efficiency.
Example 2. Consider the linear third-order IVP [15,29,30] The exact solution: .
In this example, we used SIM-BHM6 with Table 3 gives a comparison of the maximum absolute errors using the SIM-BHM6 method with different variants of the block method [
15,
29,
30]. As shown in
Table 3, Rufai and Ramos [
15] used a variable step-size fourth-derivative block method, Awoyemi1 et al. [
29] used a linear multi-step block method with five collocation points, and Allogmany and Ismail [
30] used a fourth and fifth derivative block method with three implicit collocation points. We note that SIM-BHM6 outperformed the other block methods in terms of reducing maximum absolute errors.
Figure 5 shows that the method achieves good accuracy in two iterations for
across all blocks.
Example 3. Consider the nonlinear third-order IVP [31] The exact solution of Example 3 is .
In this example, we selected , , and . We define In
Table 4, we present a comparative analysis of the maximum absolute errors achieved using the SIM-BHM4, SIM-BHM5, and SIM-BHM6 methods with the work in [
31]. Adeyeye and Omar [
31] employed a block method with equally spaced collocation points. Notably, our findings show enhancement in accuracy when adopting SIM-BHM, particularly as we increase the number of intra-step points and reduce the step sizes.
Figure 6a–c provide a visual representation of the number of iterations required across various blocks. In the case of shorter intervals, as in
Figure 6a with 10 blocks, we observe that the maximum number of iterations required is five. As shown in
Figure 6b, when 100 blocks are utilized, the maximum number of iterations reduces to four. These observations underscore the role of smaller step sizes in reducing the maximum iteration count within the blocks. For larger intervals, as illustrated in
Figure 6a with 300 blocks, the maximum number of iterations remains at five. This suggests that, even in scenarios with a larger solution domain, the SIM-BHM maintains its efficient convergence characteristics.
Figure 6d provides further evidence of SIM-BHM’s effectiveness, indicating that the method returns a maximum absolute error less than
. This level of precision underscores the robustness and accuracy of the SIM-BHM approach. SIM-BHM6 generally outperforms both SIM-BHM4 and SIM-BHM5.
Example 4. Consider a nonlinear system of third-order IVPs [15]with the exact solutions given as , , and . In the case of a system of equations, the SIM-BHM6 parameters are given by Table 5 shows a comparison of the maximum absolute errors achieved using SIM-BHM6 with the work of Rufai and Ramos [
15].
Table 5 illustrates the superior accuracy and computational efficiency of SIM-BHM6 compared to the methodology proposed in [
15]. SIM-BHM6 consistently yields more precise approximate solutions across a range of scenarios while maintaining efficient computational performance.
Figure 7 provides a representation of the maximum iterations within the computational blocks. Notably, the reduction in user-defined tolerance led to an increase in the number of iterations between the blocks. We observed a maximum of six iterations.
Figure 8 gives a comparison of the exact vs. numerical of the displacements in
Figure 8a and phase portrait in
Figure 8b.
Example 5. Consider a nonlinear IVP [13] given aswith the exact solution: In this example, we use SIM-BHM4 with Table 6 provides a comprehensive comparison between the maximum absolute errors achieved using the SIM-BHM4 method and the results obtained by Osa and Olaoluwa [
13].
Figure 9 illustrates the number of iterations within the computational blocks for different values of
b for a tolerance
. The maximum number of iterations required was
for short and large intervals. The corresponding absolute error profiles for
,
and
are plotted in
Figure 10a.
Figure 10b shows the exact vs. numerical solution for
,
, and
.
6. On the Application of the SIM-BHM to Solve Nonlinear Jerk Equations
The concept of jerk is particularly relevant in the study of motion and control systems, especially in engineering and physics [
32,
33]. In physics, the jerk equation models particle motion under varying forces, providing valuable insights into dynamic systems [
34]. The equation is used to model systems where the rate of change in acceleration is important, such as in vibration analysis, control systems, and motion planning. Additionally, jerk analysis finds application in signal processing and control theory, facilitating the filtering of noisy signals and the detection of anomalies, contributing to technological advancements. Higher derivatives of motion, such as snap, are also important in motion control and can be experienced in everyday life, such as on trampolines and roller coasters [
35].
We consider a class of nonlinear jerk equation IVP containing a third derivative of position with respect to time that describes the rate of change in acceleration, and it is given by
where the parameters
,
,
,
,
, and
are constant. Since there is no analytic solution to Equation (
46), we compared the results of the solution profiles to approximated solutions that have been previously reported in the literature [
36,
37,
38,
39].
Case 1: and
. Then, the nonlinear jerk Equation (
46) takes the form
Gottlieb [
38] employed the harmonic balance method (HBM) approach approximation solution to solve the nonlinear Equation (
48). He found that HBM yields a good approximated solution of the period and displacement amplitude of oscillations for a range of values of initial velocity, given as
where
is the angular frequency. To solve Equation (
48) numerically, we use SIM-BHM7 with
Case 1 is solved using SIM-BHM7 with
and
in the domain of integration
. The displacement and phase trajectory are given in
Figure 11a and
Figure 11b, respectively. A comparison of the approximated analytical vs. numerical solution is depicted by plotting the two results on the same graph. The corresponding iterations per block and the absolute error profiles for the displacement are plotted in
Figure 12a and
Figure 12b, respectively, for different values of the initial velocity
.
Case 2: ,
and
. For the
Case 2 values of the parameters, the nonlinear jerk Equation (
46) is given as
Mirzabeigy and Yildirim [
39] employed the modified differential transform method (MDTM) to obtain approximate periodic solutions to Equation (
50), given as
In
Case 2, we employ SIM-BHM3 with
To determine the accuracy of SIM-BHM3, the numerical results are compared with Kashkari and Alqarni [
40]. In their work, they implemented a two-step hybrid block method (TSHBM) with a polynomial of degree 6.
Table 7 gives a comparison of the SIM-BHM for
and
. It can be observed that SIM-BHM3 gives similar results to MDTM and TSHBM within a fast CPU time.
Figure 13a depicts the number of iterations required per block for different values of the initial velocity
. It can be observed that SIM-BHM3 converges within five iterations.
Figure 13b illustrates the phase portrait for different values of the initial velocity.
Case 3: , , and . The periodic solutions to Equation (
52) are given as [
39]
The displacement, velocity, acceleration, and phase portrait trajectories are given in
Figure 14. A comparison of the exact (MDTM) vs. numerical (SIM-BHM3) solutions is depicted by plotting the two results on the same graph. The corresponding phase portrait and iterations per block are plotted in
Figure 15a and
Figure 15b, respectively, for different values of
.
Case 4: . For the
Case 4 values of the parameters, the nonlinear jerk Equation (
46) is given as
With linearization, we obtain
Equation (
54) is solved using SIM-BHM7 with
in the domain of integration
for different values of the initial velocity
. The displacement and iterations per block utilized to solve Equation (
54) are plotted in
Figure 16 for different values of the initial velocity.
Figure 17 depicts phase portraits for
Case 4 when varying
.
Case 5: . For the
Case 5 values of the parameters, the nonlinear jerk Equation (
46) is given as
With linearization, we obtain
Equation (
56) is solved using SIM-BHM7 with
and
for different values of the initial velocity.
Figure 18 illustrates the solution
and the iteration required.
Figure 19 shows the phase portrait.
We considered five cases of nonlinear jerk Equation (
46) with different parameter combinations for Equations (
48)–(
56). This allowed us to test the SIM-BHM approach on various forms of the jerk equation. For
Cases 1–3, known analytical solutions from previous works were available to validate our numerical results. The SIM-BHM-produced displacement profiles, velocities, accelerations, and phase portraits are in agreement with these established solutions. In
Cases 4 and 5, there were no analytical solutions. The SIM-BHM generated physically realistic oscillatory behaviors as the initial velocity parameter
was varied. This indicates that the method can reliably solve these types of jerk equations numerically. Across all test cases, the SIM-BHM converged rapidly, typically requiring only 2–8 iterations per block. Even for large solution domains and higher
values producing larger oscillations, the method maintained its fast convergence. The displacement profiles, phase portraits, and plots of the iterations clearly illustrate the accuracy and consistency of the SIM-BHM approach. Comparisons with previous works validated the high precision of the numerical solutions obtained. In conclusion, the SIM-BHM proves to be an effective technique for solving an important class of nonlinear jerk equations. It generates solutions in close agreement with the known results. The method exhibits robust computational performance and accuracy across a wide range of problem scenarios.
The numerical experiments consistently showed the SIM-BHM achieving higher accuracy when a smaller step size h was used. For example, reducing h from to led to errors 1–2 orders of magnitude smaller across test problems. This implies that the method exhibits the expected property of increased accuracy for smaller discretization. Larger solution domains were also handled effectively. Cases 1–3 of the jerk equations covered intervals up to with good precision. Cases 4 and 5 were solved over the wider range of while maintaining accuracy. The SIM-BHM modeled problems requiring integration over large physical spaces. Additional support comes from Example 5, where accuracy improved for the longer interval of compared to . These examples provide strong evidence that SIM-BHM’s accuracy increases predictably with smaller h and can be systematically extended to large b values through domain discretization.
Figure 11.
Displacement and phase trajectory for using SIM-BHM7 when , , , and .
Figure 11.
Displacement and phase trajectory for using SIM-BHM7 when , , , and .
Figure 12.
Iterations per block and absolute error for using the SIM-BHM7 when , , , , and .
Figure 12.
Iterations per block and absolute error for using the SIM-BHM7 when , , , , and .
Figure 13.
Displacement and phase trajectory for using the SIM-BHM3 when , , , and .
Figure 13.
Displacement and phase trajectory for using the SIM-BHM3 when , , , and .
Figure 14.
Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and phase portrait for using the SIM-BHM3 when , , , , and .
Figure 14.
Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and phase portrait for using the SIM-BHM3 when , , , , and .
Figure 15.
Displacement and phase trajectory for using SIM-BHM3 when .
Figure 15.
Displacement and phase trajectory for using SIM-BHM3 when .
Figure 16.
Displacement and iterations per block for using SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 16.
Displacement and iterations per block for using SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 17.
Phase trajectory for using the SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 17.
Phase trajectory for using the SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 18.
Displacement and iterations per block for using SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 18.
Displacement and iterations per block for using SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 19.
Phase portraits for using SIM-BHM7 when , , and .
Figure 19.
Phase portraits for using SIM-BHM7 when , , and .