The Performance of Fixed Step Size and Adaptive Step Size Numerical Methods for Solving Deterministic Cell-Growth Models

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Deterministic cell-growth models describe the growth of cell populations using fixed mathematical rules, assuming no randomness in the system. These models are often based on differential equations that account for the rates of cell division, death, and other biological processes. The solution to the system is obtained via numerical methods. Most of the developed approaches are based on fixed step sizes. However, fixed step size implementation failed to offer the optimal solutions when dealing with stiff challenges. Fixed step size methods can be unstable for stiff equations, where some components of the solution change much more rapidly than others. The step size, required to maintain stability can become impractically small. Thus, the adaptive step size method is required. Adaptive step size methods adjust the step size dynamically based on the behavior of the solution, aiming to maintain a desired level of accuracy while optimizing computational efficiency. These methods are particularly useful for solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs) where the solution can vary rapidly in some regions and slowly in others. This study is devoted to comparing the implementation of fixed step size and adaptive step size in solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The fixed step size and adaptive step size numerical method are solved in this study via the fourth order Runge-Kutta method (RK4) and Runge-Kutta Fehlberg 45 method (RKF45). The performance of both numerical methods used will be analyzed by comparing the numerical results approximated with the actual data. Subsequently, the absolute error, relative error, and rounding-off error will be calculated to compare both approaches. Based on the more precise findings, this work has shown that adaptive step size is predicted to be the optimal representation for solving ODEs. As a result, this may help mathematicians to choose the most effective numerical approach for solving ODEs.