On the number of segments needed in a piecewise linear approximation (Q964964)

This article is about the piecewise uniform approximation of functions on intervals \([a,b]\). If piecewise linear approximations on intervals are required up to a prescribed uniform accuracy, the question arises how many pieces are required in order to obtain that accuracy \(\varepsilon>0\). In this paper, a couple of theorems is provided that answer this question asymptotically for small \(\varepsilon\). The answer depends, among other things, essentially on the second derivative of the approximated function if it is sufficiently smooth.