# Implicit Euler local error issue

I'm not sure I get what's going on here, and online resources are not helpful, at least I didn't find any helpful ones. For the problem:

$$\frac{dy}{dt} = f(t, y(t))$$

a numerical solution for $y(t)$ can be given by:

$$y_{n+1} = y_n + h(f(t_{n+1}, y_{n+1}))$$

Where $h$ is the step size. If I want to calculate the local error of this method, I should take the difference between the numerical solution and the exact one after one step:

$$\tau = y_{n+1} - y(t_{n+1}) = y_n + h(f(t_{n+1}, y_{n+1})) - y(t_{n+1})$$

The value $y_{n}$ is assumed to be exact, thus $y_{n} = y(t_n)$.

$\textbf{Question 1}$: How should I understand $y_{n+1}$? As I understand it, this is not a function, but the value I should calculate for an approximation of $y(t_{n+1})$. Online I've seen people stating that we should replace the numerical solution with the exact one, so $f(t_{n+1}, y_{n+1}) = y'(t_{n+1})$. I don't see how this is justified.

$\textbf{Question 2}$: It seems $\tau$ is a function of $h$. Under the assumtion that $f(t_{n+1}, y_{n+1}) = y'(t_{n+1})$ holds, we have:

$$\tau(h) = y_{n+1} - y(t_n + h) = y_n + hy'(t_n+h) - y(t_n + h)$$

developing $\tau(h)$ around $h = 0$ (equivalently $y(t_n + h)$ around $t_n$) we get:

$$\tau(h) =y_n + h(y'(t_n) + hy''(t_n) + ...) - (y(t_n) + hy'(t_n) + \frac{h^2}2y''(t_n) + ...)$$

$$= -\frac{h^2}2y''(t_n) + \mathcal{O}(h^3)$$

Seemingly correct. But wherever I look I get these explanations that I should develop around the point $t_{n+1}$. WHAT? $t_{n+1} = t_n + h$, depending on $h$, so that point will depend on whatever $h$ I choose. Fixing $h_0$ and running the same calculation got me into a HUGE mess, since the taylor series will change. For one, developing $\tau(h)$ around $h_0$ will give a factor of $(h - h_0)$ in front of each term.

How can I make sense of this? Can someone please walk be through this in clear way, if you are developing a function into a series, then be precise about what function it is, depending on what variable and developed around what point. I can't find a good explanation anywhere. People just write "Taylor expand around $t_{n+1}$"...

The overarching idea for the computation of the global error is to consider the family of solutions to $(y^n)'=f(t,y^n)$ with initial values $y^n(t_n)=y_n$, where $(t_n,y_n)$ are the samples of the numerical integration method. This general scheme works for all one-step methods, thus also the explicit and the implicit Euler method.
Next one reduces, via Gronwall lemma, the steps $$\|y_{N}-y(t_N)\|=\|y^N(t_N)-y^0(t_N)\|\le\sum_{n=0}^{N-1}\|y^{n+1}(t_N)-y^n(t_N)\|$$ of the global error at $t_N$ to the propagated contributions of the local error $$\|y^{n+1}(t_N)-y^n(t_N)\|\le e^{L(t_N-t_{n+1})}\|y_{n+1}-y^n(t_{n+1})\|$$ for the explicit Euler method, or $$\|y^{n+1}(t_N)-y^n(t_N)\|\le e^{L(t_N-t_{n})}\|y^{n+1}(t_n)-y_n\|$$ for the implicit Euler method.