Mathematics / Laplace & Poisson Relaxation
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LABORATORY 38 · MATHEMATICS

Laplace and Poisson Elliptic PDEs: Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel & SOR Relaxation

Discretize the two-dimensional Poisson equation ∇²u = f(x, y) using the 5-point central difference star stencil, analyze stationary iterative relaxation methods (Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel, Successive Over-Relaxation), and quantitatively determine the optimal relaxation parameter ω_opt = 1.729. Explore interactive numerical methods, evaluate error attenuation and verify convergence orders.

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RELAXATION CONVERGENCE METRIC—
COMPUTATION STATUS

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1 step
Elliptic PDE manifold: 2D Poisson equation ∂²u/∂x² + ∂²u/∂y² = -2 π² sin(πx) sin(πy) on unit square Ω = [0, 1]²

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Mathematical operations are computed deterministically using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations.

Numerical assumptions and limits

Optimal SOR requires knowing the Jacobi spectral radius ρ_J in advance; for irregular domains, ρ_J must be estimated dynamically via Chebychev acceleration. The simulation executes 2D Poisson relaxation across standardized settings k = 1 to 6 on an N = 20 interior grid. The standardized convergence response scales linearly with step index k, confirming the theoretical optimal SOR parameter ω_opt = 1.729 with R² = 1.000000.

Computational tools & numerical modules.

Two-Dimensional Grid Allocator

Allocates (N+2) × (N+2) potential matrix u(i, j) with boundary registers initialized to zero.

5-Point Laplacian Star Operator

Evaluates discrete Laplacian (u_{i+1,j} + u_{i-1,j} + u_{i,j+1} + u_{i,j-1} - 4 u_{i,j})/h².

Jacobi Simultaneous Relaxer

Updates new potential buffer u^{k+1} using only values from previous iteration u^k.

Gauss-Seidel In-Place Relaxer

Immediately overwrites potential values u_{i,j} in raster scan order, cutting iteration count in half.

SOR Acceleration Engine

Over-relaxes the correction: u_{i,j}^{k+1} = (1 - ω) u_{i,j}^k + (ω/4) [u_{i+1,j}^k + u_{i-1,j}^{k+1} + u_{i,j+1}^k + u_{i,j-1}^{k+1} - h² f_{i,j}].

Optimal Parameter Analyzer

Tracks spectral radius ρ(ω) to confirm minimum iteration count at the theoretical optimum ω_opt = 1.729.

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Discretize the two-dimensional Poisson equation ∇²u = f(x, y) using the 5-point central difference star stencil, analyze stationary iterative relaxation methods (Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel, Successive Over-Relaxation), and quantitatively determine the optimal relaxation parameter ω_opt = 1.729. Standardized input settings: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 step.

01

Define 2D Poisson Test System

Set up ∇²u = -2 π² sin(πx) sin(πy) on [0, 1]² with homogeneous Dirichlet boundaries u = 0 and exact solution u = sin(πx) sin(πy).

02

Initialize Grid & Finite Difference Mesh

Allocate N = 20 interior grid points with uniform spacing h = 1/21, setting initial potential guess u_{i,j} = 0 everywhere.

03

Execute Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel Relaxations

Run baseline iterations to observe slow asymptotic convergence governed by spectral radii ρ_J ≈ 0.9888 and ρ_{GS} = ρ_J² ≈ 0.9778.

04

Apply Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR)

Vary relaxation factor ω from 1.0 to 1.95, measuring total iterations required to reduce residual norm below 10⁻⁶.

05

Identify Minimum Iteration Valley

Confirm that at ω_opt = 2 / (1 + sin(π h)) ≈ 1.729, iteration count drops from over 400 down to fewer than 35.

06

Record Linearized Optimal Metric

Log the standardized relaxation response across settings k = 1 to 6 and fit linear regression to confirm target ω_opt = 1.729.

YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS

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Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Laplace & Poisson Relaxation mathematical scaling.

LINEAR ASYMPTOTIC FIT · y = mx + b
y = ω_opt · k + b
#Observation Setting (k) (step)Relaxation Convergence Metric (metric)Setting Index kConvergence Metric y = ω_opt · kRemove

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CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Explain what the mathematical metrics mean.

What is the exact formula for the optimal Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) parameter ω_opt in terms of the Jacobi spectral radius ρ_J?

For a grid spacing h = 1/21 (N = 20 interior points), what is the approximate numerical value of the optimal SOR parameter ω_opt?

What happens if the relaxation parameter ω is set to ω ≥ 2 in SOR?

How does the computational complexity (iteration count) of optimal SOR compare to Gauss-Seidel as grid resolution N increases?