fsolve gives weird answers - python

I want to use fsolve to numerically find roots of a nonlinear transcendent equation.
The following code does this job.
import numpy as np
from scipy.optimize import fsolve
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
kappa = 0.1
tau = 90
def equation(x, * parameters):
kappa,tau = parameters
return -x + kappa * np.sin(-tau*x)
x = np.linspace(-0.5,0.5, 35)
roots = fsolve(equation,x, (kappa,tau))
x_2 = np.linspace(-1.5,1.5,1500)
plt.plot(x_2 ,x_2 )
plt.plot(x_2 , kappa*np.sin(-x_2 *tau))
plt.scatter(x, roots)
plt.show()
I can double check the solutions graphically by plotting the two graphs f1(x)=x and f2(x)=k * sin(-x * tau), which i also included in the code.
fsolve gives me some wrong answers, without throwing any errors or convergence problems.
The Problem is, that I would like to automatize the procedure for varying kappa and tau, without me checking which answers are wrong and which are right. But with wrong answers as output, i can't use this method. Is there any other method or an option I can use, to be on the safe side?
Thanks for the help.

I couldn't run your code, there were errors and anyway, according to the documentation on scipy.fsolve, you're supposed to add an initial guess as the second input argument, not a range as what you did there fsolve(equation, x0, (kappa,tau))
You could of course however pass this in a loop, looping for every value in the array np.linspace(0.5, 0.5, 25). Although I do not understand what you are trying to achieve by varying kappa and tau, but if I take it that for those given parameters, you are interested in looking for the roots, here's how I would do it.
import numpy as np
from scipy.optimize import fsolve
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Take it as it is
kappa = 0.1
tau = 90
def equation(x, parameters):
kappa,tau = parameters
return -x + kappa * np.sin(-tau*x)
# Initial guess of x = -0.1
SolutionStack = []
x0 = -kappa
y = fsolve(equation, x0, [kappa, tau])
SolutionStack.append(y[0])
y = fsolve(equation, SolutionStack[-1], [kappa, tau])
SolutionStack.append(y[0])
deltaY = SolutionStack[-1] - SolutionStack[0]
# Define tolerance
tol = 5e-4
while ((SolutionStack[-1] <= kappa) and (deltaY <= tol)):
y = fsolve(equation, SolutionStack[-1], [kappa, tau])
SolutionStack.append(y[0])
deltaY = SolutionStack[-1] - SolutionStack[-2]
# Obviously a little guesswork is involved here, as it pertains to 0.07
if deltaY <= tol:
SolutionStack[-1] = SolutionStack[-1] + 0.07
# Obtaining the roots
Roots = []
Roots.append(SolutionStack[0])
for i in range(len(SolutionStack)-1):
if (SolutionStack[i+1] - SolutionStack[i]) <= tol:
continue
else:
Roots.append(SolutionStack[i+1]
Probably not the smartest way to do it (assuming I even understood you correctly), but perhaps you have an idea now.

Related

Fipy error:’’The Factor is exactly singular’’, when applying Neumann boundary conditions

We’re trying to solve a one-dimensional Coupled Continuity-Poisson problem in Fipy. When applying
Dirichlet’s conditions, it gives the correct results, but when we change the boundaries conditions to Neumann’s which is closer to our problem, it gives “The Factor is exactly singular’’ error.
Any help is highly appreciated. The code is as follows (0<x<2.5):
from fipy import *
from fipy import Grid1D, CellVariable, TransientTerm, DiffusionTerm, Viewer
import numpy as np
import math
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib import cm
from cachetools import cached, TTLCache #caching to increase the speed of python
cache = TTLCache(maxsize=100, ttl=86400) #creating the cache object: the
#first argument= the number of objects we store in the cache.
#____________________________________________________
nx=50
dx=0.05
L=nx*dx
e=math.e
m = Grid1D(nx=nx, dx=dx)
print(np.log(e))
#____________________________________________________
phi = CellVariable(mesh=m, hasOld=True, value=0.)
ne = CellVariable(mesh=m, hasOld=True, value=0.)
phi_face = phi.faceValue
ne_face = ne.faceValue
x = m.cellCenters[0]
t0 = Variable()
phi.setValue((x-1)**3)
ne.setValue(-6*(x-1))
#____________________________________________________
#cached(cache)
def S(x,t):
f=6*(x-1)*e**(-t)+54*((x-1)**2)*e**(-2.*t)
return f
#____________________________________________________
#Boundary Condition:
valueleft_phi=3*e**(-t0)
valueright_phi=6.75*e**(-t0)
valueleft_ne=-6*e**(-t0)
valueright_ne=-6*e**(-t0)
phi.faceGrad.constrain([valueleft_phi], m.facesLeft)
phi.faceGrad.constrain([valueright_phi], m.facesRight)
ne.faceGrad.constrain([valueleft_ne], m.facesLeft)
ne.faceGrad.constrain([valueright_ne], m.facesRight)
#____________________________________________________
eqn0 = DiffusionTerm(1.,var=phi)==ImplicitSourceTerm(-1.,var=ne)
eqn1 = TransientTerm(1.,var=ne) ==
VanLeerConvectionTerm(phi.faceGrad,var=ne)+S(x,t0)
eqn = eqn0 & eqn1
#____________________________________________________
steps = 1.e4
dt=1.e-4
T=dt*steps
F=dt/(dx**2)
print('F=',F)
#____________________________________________________
vi = Viewer(phi)
with open('out2.txt', 'w') as output:
while t0()<T:
print(t0)
phi.updateOld()
ne.updateOld()
res=1.e30
#for sweep in range(steps):
while res > 1.e-4:
res = eqn.sweep(dt=dt)
t0.setValue(t0()+dt)
for m in range(nx):
output.write(str(phi[m])+' ') #+ os.linesep
output.write('\n')
if __name__ == '__main__':
vi.plot()
#____________________________________________________
data = np.loadtxt('out2.txt')
X, T = np.meshgrid(np.linspace(0, L, len(data[0,:])), np.linspace(0, T,
len(data[:,0])))
fig = plt.figure(3)
ax = fig.add_subplot(111,projection='3d')
ax.plot_surface(X, T, Z=data)
plt.show(block=True)
The issue with these equations, particularly eqn0, is that they admit an infinite number of solutions when Neumann boundary conditions are applied on both boundaries. You can fix this by pinning a value somewhere with an internal fixed value. E.g., based on the analytical solution given in the comments, phi = (x-1)**3 * exp(-t), we can pin phi = 0 at x = 1 with
mask = (m.x > 1-dx/2) & (m.x < 1+dx/2)
largeValue = 1e6
value = 0.
#____________________________________________________
eqn0 = (DiffusionTerm(1.,var=phi)==ImplicitSourceTerm(-1.,var=ne)
+ ImplicitSourceTerm(mask * largeValue, var=phi) - mask * largeValue * value)
At this point, the solutions still do not agree with the expected solutions. This is because, while you have called ne.faceGrad.constrain() for the left and right boundaries, does not appear in the discretized equations. You can see this if you plot ne; the gradient is zero at both boundaries despite the constraint because FiPy never "sees" the constraint.
What does appear is the flux . By applying fixed flux boundary conditions, I obtain the expected solutions:
ne_left = 6 * numerix.exp(-t0)
ne_right = -9 * numerix.exp(-t0)
eqn1 = (TransientTerm(1.,var=ne)
== VanLeerConvectionTerm(phi.faceGrad * m.interiorFaces,var=ne)
+ S(x,t0)
+ (m.facesLeft * ne_left * phi.faceGrad).divergence
+ (m.facesRight * ne_right * phi.faceGrad).divergence)
You can probably get better convergence properties with
eqn1 = (TransientTerm(1.,var=ne)
== DiffusionTerm(coeff=ne.faceValue * m.interiorFaces, var=phi)
+ S(x,t0)
+ (m.facesLeft * ne_left * phi.faceGrad).divergence
+ (m.facesRight * ne_right * phi.faceGrad).divergence)
but either formulation seems to work.
Note: phi.faceGrad.constrain() is fine, because the flux does appear in DiffusionTerm(coeff=1., var=phi).
Separately, it appears (based on "The Factor is exactly singular") that you are solving with the SciPy LinearLUSolver. The PETSc LinearLUSolver does better, but the baseline value of the solution wanders all over the place. Calling
res = eqn.sweep(dt=dt, solver=LinearGMRESSolver())
also seems to produce stable results (without pinning an internal value). This behavior probably shouldn't be relied on; pinning a value is the right thing to do.

Python - Using a Kronecker Delta with ODEINT

I'm trying to plot the output from an ODE using a Kronecker delta function which should only become 'active' at a specific time = t1.
This should give a sawtooth like response where the initial value decays down exponentially until t=t1 where it rises again instantly before decaying down once again.
However, when I plot this it looks like the solver is seeing the Kronecker delta function as zero for all time t. Is there anyway to do this in Python?
from scipy import KroneckerDelta
import scipy.integrate as sp
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
def dy_dt(y,t):
dy_dt = 500*KroneckerDelta(t,t1) - 2y
return dy_dt
t1 = 4
y0 = 500
t = np.arrange(0,10,0.1)
y = sp.odeint(dy_dt,y0,t)
plt.plot(t,y)
In the case of a simple Kronecker delta using time, you can run the ode in pieces like so:
from scipy.integrate import odeint
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
def dy_dt(y,t):
return -2*y
t_delta = 4
tend = 10
y0 = [500]
t1 = np.linspace(0,t_delta,50)
y1 = odeint(dy_dt,y0,t1)
y0 = y1[-1] + 500 # execute Kronecker delta
t2 = np.linspace(t_delta,tend,50)
y2 = odeint(dy_dt,y0,t2)
t = np.append(t1, t2)
y = np.append(y1, y2)
plt.plot(t,y)
Another option for complicated situations is to the events functionality of solve_ivp.
I think the problem could be internal rounding errors, because 0.1 cannot be represented exactly as a python float. I would try
import math
def dy_dt(y,t):
if math.isclose(t, t1):
return 500 - 2*y
else:
return -2y
Also the documentation of odeint suggests using the args parameter instead of global variables to give your derivative function access to additional arguments and replacing np.arange by np.linspace:
import scipy.integrate as sp
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import math
def dy_dt(y, t, t1):
if math.isclose(t, t1):
return 500 - 2*y
else:
return -2*y
t1 = 4
y0 = 500
t = np.linspace(0, 10, num=101)
y = sp.odeint(dy_dt, y0, t, args=(t1,))
plt.plot(t, y)
I did not test the code so tell me if there is anything wrong with it.
EDIT:
When testing my code I took a look at the t values for which dy_dt is evaluated. I noticed that odeint does not only use the t values that where specified, but alters them slightly:
...
3.6636447422787928
3.743098503914526
3.822552265550259
3.902006027185992
3.991829287543431
4.08165254790087
4.171475808258308
...
Now using my method, we get
math.isclose(3.991829287543431, 4) # False
because the default tolerance is set to a relative error of at most 10^(-9), so the odeint function "misses" the bump of the derivative at 4. Luckily, we can fix that by specifying a higher error threshold:
def dy_dt(y, t, t1):
if math.isclose(t, t1, abs_tol=0.01):
return 500 - 2*y
else:
return -2*y
Now dy_dt is very high for all values between 3.99 and 4.01. It is possible to make this range smaller if the num argument of linspace is increased.
TL;DR
Your problem is not a problem of python but a problem of numerically solving an differential equation: You need to alter your derivative for an interval of sufficient length, otherwise the solver will likely miss the interesting spot. A kronecker delta does not work with numeric approaches to solving ODEs.

How to solve a 9-equations system of non linear DE with python?

I'm desperately trying to solve (and display the graph) a system made of nine nonlinear differential equations which model the path of a boomerang. The system is the following:
All the letters on the left side are variables, the others are either constants or known functions depending on v_G and w_z
I have tried with scipy.odeint with no conclusive results (I had this issue but the workaround did not work.)
I begin to think that the problem is linked with the fact that these equations are nonlinear or that the function in denominator might cause a singularity that the scipy solver is simply unable to handle. However, I am not familiar with that sort of mathematical knowledge.
What possibilities python-wise do I have to solve this set of equations?
EDIT : Sorry if I was not clear enough. Since it models the path of a boomerang, my goal is not to solve analytically this system (ie I don't care about the mathematical expression of each function), but rather to get the values of each function for a specific time range (say, from t1 = 0s to t2 = 15s with an interval of 0.01s between each value) in order to display the graph of each function and the graph of the center of mass of the boomerang (X,Y,Z are its coordinates).
Here is the code I tried :
import scipy.integrate as spi
import numpy as np
#Constants
I3 = 10**-3
lamb = 1
L = 5*10**-1
mu = I3
m = 0.1
Cz = 0.5
rho = 1.2
S = 0.03*0.4
Kz = 1/2*rho*S*Cz
g = 9.81
#Initial conditions
omega0 = 20*np.pi
V0 = 25
Psi0 = 0
theta0 = np.pi/2
phi0 = 0
psi0 = -np.pi/9
X0 = 0
Y0 = 0
Z0 = 1.8
INPUT = (omega0, V0, Psi0, theta0, phi0, psi0, X0, Y0, Z0) #initial conditions
def diff_eqs(t, INP):
'''The main set of equations'''
Y=np.zeros((9))
Y[0] = (1/I3) * (Kz*L*(INP[1]**2+(L*INP[0])**2))
Y[1] = -(lamb/m)*INP[1]
Y[2] = -(1/(m * INP[1])) * ( Kz*L*(INP[1]**2+(L*INP[0])**2) + m*g) + (mu/I3)/INP[0]
Y[3] = (1/(I3*INP[0]))*(-mu*INP[0]*np.sin(INP[6]))
Y[4] = (1/(I3*INP[0]*np.sin(INP[3]))) * (mu*INP[0]*np.cos(INP[5]))
Y[5] = -np.cos(INP[3])*Y[4]
Y[6] = INP[1]*(-np.cos(INP[5])*np.cos(INP[4]) + np.sin(INP[5])*np.sin(INP[4])*np.cos(INP[3]))
Y[7] = INP[1]*(-np.cos(INP[5])*np.sin(INP[4]) - np.sin(INP[5])*np.cos(INP[4])*np.cos(INP[3]))
Y[8] = INP[1]*(-np.sin(INP[5])*np.sin(INP[3]))
return Y # For odeint
t_start = 0.0
t_end = 20
t_step = 0.01
t_range = np.arange(t_start, t_end, t_step)
RES = spi.odeint(diff_eqs, INPUT, t_range)
However, I keep getting the same problem as shown here and especially the error message :
Excess work done on this call (perhaps wrong Dfun type)
I am not quite sure what it means but it looks like the solver have troubles solving the system. In any case, when I try to display the 3D path thanks to the XYZ coordinates, I just get 3 or 4 points where there should be something like 2000.
So my questions are : - Am I doing something wrong in my code ?
- If not, is there an other maybe more sophisticated tool to solve this sytem ?
- If not, is it even possible to get what I want from this system of ODEs ?
Thanks in advance
There are several issues:
if I copy the code, it does not run
the workaround you mention does not work with odeint, the given
solution uses ode
The scipy reference for odeint says:"For new code, use
scipy.integrate.solve_ivp to solve a differential equation."
the call RES = spi.odeint(diff_eqs, INPUT, t_range) should be
consistent to the function head def diff_eqs(t, INP) . Mind the
order: RES = spi.odeint(diff_eqs,t_range, INPUT)
There are some issues about to mathematical formulas too:
have a look at the 3rd formula on your picture. It has no tendency term, it starts with a zero - what does that mean ?
it's hard to check wether you have translated the formula correctly into code since the code does not follow the formulas strictly.
Below I tried a solution with scipy solve_ivp. In case A I'm able to run a pendulum, but in case B no meaningful solution for the boomerang can be found. So check the maths, I guess some error in the mathematical expressions.
For the graphics use pandas to plot all variables together (see code below).
import scipy.integrate as spi
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
def diff_eqs_boomerang(t,Y):
INP = Y
dY = np.zeros((9))
dY[0] = (1/I3) * (Kz*L*(INP[1]**2+(L*INP[0])**2))
dY[1] = -(lamb/m)*INP[1]
dY[2] = -(1/(m * INP[1])) * ( Kz*L*(INP[1]**2+(L*INP[0])**2) + m*g) + (mu/I3)/INP[0]
dY[3] = (1/(I3*INP[0]))*(-mu*INP[0]*np.sin(INP[6]))
dY[4] = (1/(I3*INP[0]*np.sin(INP[3]))) * (mu*INP[0]*np.cos(INP[5]))
dY[5] = -np.cos(INP[3])*INP[4]
dY[6] = INP[1]*(-np.cos(INP[5])*np.cos(INP[4]) + np.sin(INP[5])*np.sin(INP[4])*np.cos(INP[3]))
dY[7] = INP[1]*(-np.cos(INP[5])*np.sin(INP[4]) - np.sin(INP[5])*np.cos(INP[4])*np.cos(INP[3]))
dY[8] = INP[1]*(-np.sin(INP[5])*np.sin(INP[3]))
return dY
def diff_eqs_pendulum(t,Y):
dY = np.zeros((3))
dY[0] = Y[1]
dY[1] = -Y[0]
dY[2] = Y[0]*Y[1]
return dY
t_start, t_end = 0.0, 12.0
case = 'A'
if case == 'A': # pendulum
Y = np.array([0.1, 1.0, 0.0]);
Yres = spi.solve_ivp(diff_eqs_pendulum, [t_start, t_end], Y, method='RK45', max_step=0.01)
if case == 'B': # boomerang
Y = np.array([omega0, V0, Psi0, theta0, phi0, psi0, X0, Y0, Z0])
print('Y initial:'); print(Y); print()
Yres = spi.solve_ivp(diff_eqs_boomerang, [t_start, t_end], Y, method='RK45', max_step=0.01)
#---- graphics ---------------------
yy = pd.DataFrame(Yres.y).T
tt = np.linspace(t_start,t_end,yy.shape[0])
with plt.style.context('fivethirtyeight'):
plt.figure(1, figsize=(20,5))
plt.plot(tt,yy,lw=8, alpha=0.5);
plt.grid(axis='y')
for j in range(3):
plt.fill_between(tt,yy[j],0, alpha=0.2, label='y['+str(j)+']')
plt.legend(prop={'size':20})

How do I find the roots of the function $f(\beta) = \gamma + [1-e^{-j\beta}]/[1-e^{(-j+1)\beta}]$, using python

I have the following equation which I cannot find a closed form solution for $\beta$, thus I would like to solve for $\beta$ computationally:
$$\gamma = \frac{1-e^{-jT\beta}}{1-e^{-(j+1)T\beta}}$$
variables $\gamma$, $j$ and $T$ are known. Unfortunately I do not have knowledge on the brackets of the roots of the equation.
Is there an algorithm in python which is able to solve for the roots without knowledge on the brackets?
Scipy has several options for root finding algorithms: https://docs.scipy.org/doc/scipy-0.13.0/reference/optimize.html#root-finding
These algorithms tend to want either bounds for the possible solution or the derivative. In this case, bounds seemed like less work :)
edit: After re-reading your question, It sounds like you don't have an estimate for the upper and lower bounds. In that case, I suggest Newton's method (scipy.optim.newton, in which case you'll have to compute the derivative (by hand or with sympy).
import matplotlib
matplotlib.use('Agg')
import numpy as np
from scipy.optimize import brentq
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
def gamma_func(beta, j, T):
return (1-np.exp(-j*T*beta)) / (1-np.exp(-(j+1)*T*beta))
# Subtract gamma from both sides so that we have f(beta,...) = 0.
# Also, set beta, the independent variable, to the first
# argument for compatibility with solver
def f(beta, gamma, j, T):
return gamma_func(beta, j, T) - gamma
# Parameters
gamma = 0.5
j = 2.3
T = 1.5
# Lower and upper bounds for solution
beta_low = -3
beta_high = 3
# Error tolerance for solution
tol = 1e-4
# True solution
beta_star = brentq(f, beta_low, beta_high, args=(gamma, j, T), xtol=tol)
# Plot the solution
plt.figure()
plt.clf()
beta_arr = np.linspace(-10, 10, 1001)
gamma_arr = gamma_func(beta_arr, j, T)
plt.plot(beta_arr, gamma_arr)
plt.plot(beta_star, gamma_func(beta_star, j, T), 'o')
plt.savefig('gamma_plot.png')
# Print the solution
print("beta_star = {:.3f}".format(beta_star))
print("gamma(beta_star) = {:.3f}".format(gamma_func(beta_star, j, T)))
beta_star = -0.357
gamma(beta_star) = 0.500
See the documentation for the other solvers, including multidimensional solvers.
Good luck!
Oliver

Solve an implicit ODE (differential algebraic equation DAE)

I'm trying to solve a second order ODE using odeint from scipy. The issue I'm having is the function is implicitly coupled to the second order term, as seen in the simplified snippet (please ignore the pretend physics of the example):
import numpy as np
from scipy.integrate import odeint
def integral(y,t,F_l,mass):
dydt = np.zeros_like(y)
x, v = y
F_r = (((1-a)/3)**2 + (2*(1+a)/3)**2) * v # 'a' implicit
a = (F_l - F_r)/mass
dydt = [v, a]
return dydt
y0 = [0,5]
time = np.linspace(0.,10.,21)
F_lon = 100.
mass = 1000.
dydt = odeint(integral, y0, time, args=(F_lon,mass))
in this case I realise it is possible to algebraically solve for the implicit variable, however in my actual scenario there is a lot of logic between F_r and the evaluation of a and algebraic manipulation fails.
I believe the DAE could be solved using MATLAB's ode15i function, but I'm trying to avoid that scenario if at all possible.
My question is - is there a way to solve implicit ODE functions (DAE) in python( scipy preferably)? And is there a better way to pose the problem above to do so?
As a last resort, it may be acceptable to pass a from the previous time-step. How could I pass dydt[1] back into the function after each time-step?
Quite Old , but worth updating so it may be useful for anyone, who stumbles upon this question. There are quite few packages currently available in python that can solve implicit ODE.
GEKKO (https://github.com/BYU-PRISM/GEKKO) is one of the packages, that specializes on dynamic optimization for mixed integer , non linear optimization problems, but can also be used as a general purpose DAE solver.
The above "pretend physics" problem can be solved in GEKKO as follows.
m= GEKKO()
m.time = np.linspace(0,100,101)
F_l = m.Param(value=1000)
mass = m.Param(value =1000)
m.options.IMODE=4
m.options.NODES=3
F_r = m.Var(value=0)
x = m.Var(value=0)
v = m.Var(value=0,lb=0)
a = m.Var(value=5,lb=0)
m.Equation(x.dt() == v)
m.Equation(v.dt() == a)
m.Equation (F_r == (((1-a)/3)**2 + (2*(1+a)/3)**2 * v))
m.Equation (a == (1000 - F_l)/mass)
m.solve(disp=False)
plt.plot(x)
if algebraic manipulation fails, you can go for a numerical solution of your constraint, running for example fsolve at each timestep:
import sys
from numpy import linspace
from scipy.integrate import odeint
from scipy.optimize import fsolve
y0 = [0, 5]
time = linspace(0., 10., 1000)
F_lon = 10.
mass = 1000.
def F_r(a, v):
return (((1 - a) / 3) ** 2 + (2 * (1 + a) / 3) ** 2) * v
def constraint(a, v):
return (F_lon - F_r(a, v)) / mass - a
def integral(y, _):
v = y[1]
a, _, ier, mesg = fsolve(constraint, 0, args=[v, ], full_output=True)
if ier != 1:
print "I coudn't solve the algebraic constraint, error:\n\n", mesg
sys.stdout.flush()
return [v, a]
dydt = odeint(integral, y0, time)
Clearly this will slow down your time integration. Always check that fsolve finds a good solution, and flush the output so that you can realize it as it happens and stop the simulation.
About how to "cache" the value of a variable at a previous timestep, you can exploit the fact that default arguments are calculated only at the function definition,
from numpy import linspace
from scipy.integrate import odeint
#you can choose a better guess using fsolve instead of 0
def integral(y, _, F_l, M, cache=[0]):
v, preva = y[1], cache[0]
#use value for 'a' from the previous timestep
F_r = (((1 - preva) / 3) ** 2 + (2 * (1 + preva) / 3) ** 2) * v
#calculate the new value
a = (F_l - F_r) / M
cache[0] = a
return [v, a]
y0 = [0, 5]
time = linspace(0., 10., 1000)
F_lon = 100.
mass = 1000.
dydt = odeint(integral, y0, time, args=(F_lon, mass))
Notice that in order for the trick to work the cache parameter must be mutable, and that's why I use a list. See this link if you are not familiar with how default arguments work.
Notice that the two codes DO NOT produce the same result, and you should be very careful using the value at the previous timestep, both for numerical stability and precision. The second is clearly much faster though.

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