EXTRAPOLATION

When the point being approximated is not in between the two known points, the process is known as extrapolation. The mathematics of extrapolation are identical to interpolation; the difference is how accurate the approximated value may turn out to be. Using linear extrapolation, the difference between the approximated value and the actual value tends to increase the farther from the known points you are extrapolating. If you are forced to extrapolate, be sure that you understand the shape of the function well enough to have confidence that the extrapolated value is accurate enough for your intended use.

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