The solution of high-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations by Chebyshev Series

By the use of the Chebyshev series, a direct computational method for solving the higher order nonlinear differential equations has been developed in this paper. This method transforms the nonlinear differential equation into the matrix equation, which corresponds to a system of nonlinear algebraic equations with unknown Chebyshev coefficients, via Chebyshev collocation points. The solution of this system yields the Chebyshev coefficients of the solution function. An algorithm for this nonlinear system is also proposed in this paper. The method is valid for both initial-value and boundary-value problems. Several examples are presented to illustrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the method. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.