Final answer:
The direct evaluation method involves substituting xi and yi values to obtain a system of equations for the coefficients ai in the polynomial function P2(x) = a₁x² + a₂x + a₃. To determine the specific values for a₁, a₂, and a₃, we can substitute three known points (xi, yi) into the equation and solve the resulting system of equations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The direct evaluation method involves substituting xi and yi values to obtain a system of equations for the coefficients ai in the polynomial function P2(x) = a₁x² + a₂x + a₃. To determine the specific values for a₁, a₂, and a₃, we can substitute three known points (xi, yi) into the equation and solve the resulting system of equations. For example, if we have three points (x₁, y₁), (x₂, y₂), and (x₃, y₃), we can substitute these values into the equation and obtain the following system of equations:
a₁x₁² + a₂x₁ + a₃ = y₁
a₁x₂² + a₂x₂ + a₃ = y₂
a₁x₃² + a₂x₃ + a₃ = y₃
We can then solve this system of equations to find the values of a₁, a₂, and a₃.