A First Course In Scientific Computing

This book offers a new approach to introductory scientific computing. It aims to make students comfortable using computers to do science, to provide them with the computational tools and knowledge they need throughout their college careers and into their professional careers, and to show how all the pieces can work together. Rubin Landau introduces the requisite mathematics and computer science in the course of realistic problems, from energy use to the building of skyscrapers to projectile motion with drag. He is attentive to how each discipline uses its own language to describe the same concepts and how computations are concrete instances of the abstract. Landau covers the basics of computation, numerical analysis, and programming from a computational science perspective. The first part of the printed book uses the problem-solving environment Maple as its context, with the same material covered on the accompanying CD as both Maple and Mathematica programs; the second part uses the compiled language Java, with equivalent materials in Fortran90 on the CD; and the final part presents an introduction to LaTeX replete with sample files. Providing the essentials of computing, with practical examples, A First Course in Scientific Computing adheres to the principle that science and engineering students learn computation best while sitting in front of a computer, book in hand, in trial-and-error mode. Not only is it an invaluable learning text and an essential reference for students of mathematics, engineering, physics, and other sciences, but it is also a consummate model for future textbooks in computational science and engineering courses. A broad spectrum of computing tools and examples that can be used throughout an academic career Practical computing aimed at solving realistic problems Both symbolic and numerical computations A multidisciplinary approach: science + math + computer science Maple and Java in the book itself; Mathematica, Fortran90, Maple and Java on the accompanying CD in an interactive workbook format.

This book offers a new approach to introductory scientific computing. It aims to make students comfortable using computers to do science, to provide them with the computational tools and knowledge they need throughout their college careers and into their professional careers, and to show how all the pieces can work together. Rubin Landau introduces the requisite mathematics and computer science in the course of realistic problems, from energy use to the building of skyscrapers to projectile motion with drag. He is attentive to how each discipline uses its own language to describe the same concepts and how computations are concrete instances of the abstract. Landau covers the basics of computation, numerical analysis, and programming from a computational science perspective. The first part of the printed book uses the problem-solving environment Maple as its context, with the same material covered on the accompanying CD as both Maple and Mathematica programs; the second part uses the compiled language Java, with equivalent materials in Fortran90 on the CD; and the final part presents an introduction to LaTeX replete with sample files. Providing the essentials of computing, with practical examples, A First Course in Scientific Computing adheres to the principle that science and engineering students learn computation best while sitting in front of a computer, book in hand, in trial-and-error mode. Not only is it an invaluable learning text and an essential reference for students of mathematics, engineering, physics, and other sciences, but it is also a consummate model for future textbooks in computational science and engineering courses. A broad spectrum of computing tools and examples that can be used throughout an academic career Practical computing aimed at solving realistic problems Both symbolic and numerical computations A multidisciplinary approach: science + math + computer science Maple and Java in the book itself; Mathematica, Fortran90, Maple and Java on the accompanying CD in an interactive workbook format

Offers students a practical knowledge of modern techniques in scientific computing.

This easy-to-understand textbook presents a modern approach to learning numerical methods (or scientific computing), with a unique focus on the modeling and applications of the mathematical content. Emphasis is placed on the need for, and methods of, scientific computing for a range of different types of problems, supplying the evidence and justification to motivate the reader. Practical guidance on coding the methods is also provided, through simple-to-follow examples using Python. Topics and features: provides an accessible and applications-oriented approach, supported by working Python code for many of the methods; encourages both problem- and project-based learning through extensive examples, exercises, and projects drawn from practical applications; introduces the main concepts in modeling, python programming, number representation, and errors; explains the essential details of numerical calculus, linear, and nonlinear equations, including the multivariable Newton method; discusses interpolation and the numerical solution of differential equations, covering polynomial interpolation, splines, and the Euler, Runge–Kutta, and shooting methods; presents largely self-contained chapters, arranged in a logical order suitable for an introductory course on scientific computing. Undergraduate students embarking on a first course on numerical methods or scientific computing will find this textbook to be an invaluable guide to the field, and to the application of these methods across such varied disciplines as computer science, engineering, mathematics, economics, the physical sciences, and social science.

Scientific Computation has established itself as a stand-alone area of knowledge at the borderline between computer science and applied mathematics. Nonetheless, its interdisciplinary character cannot be denied: its methodologies are increasingly used in a wide variety of branches of science and engineering. A Gentle Introduction to Scientific Computing intends to serve a very broad audience of college students across a variety of disciplines. It aims to expose its readers to some of the basic tools and techniques used in computational science, with a view to helping them understand what happens "behind the scenes" when simple tools such as solving equations, plotting and interpolation are used. To make the book as practical as possible, the authors explore their subject both from a theoretical, mathematical perspective and from an implementation-driven, programming perspective. Features Middle-ground approach between theory and implementation. Suitable reading for a broad range of students in STEM disciplines. Could be used as the primary text for a first course in scientific computing. Introduces mathematics majors, without any prior computer science exposure, to numerical methods. All mathematical knowledge needed beyond Calculus (together with the most widely used Calculus notation and concepts) is introduced in the text to make it self-contained.

Outstanding text, oriented toward computer solutions, stresses errors in methods and computational efficiency. Problems — some strictly mathematical, others requiring a computer — appear at the end of each chapter.

This book is a practical guide to the numerical solution of linear and nonlinear equations, differential equations, optimization problems, and eigenvalue problems. It treats standard problems and introduces important variants such as sparse systems, differential-algebraic equations, constrained optimization, Monte Carlo simulations, and parametric studies. Stability and error analysis are emphasized, and the Matlab algorithms are grounded in sound principles of software design and understanding of machine arithmetic and memory management. Nineteen case studies provide experience in mathematical modeling and algorithm design, motivated by problems in physics, engineering, epidemiology, chemistry, and biology. The topics included go well beyond the standard first-course syllabus, introducing important problems such as differential-algebraic equations and conic optimization problems, and important solution techniques such as continuation methods. The case studies cover a wide variety of fascinating applications, from modeling the spread of an epidemic to determining truss configurations.

This book introduces the reader to many of the problems of scientific computing and the wide variety of methods used for their solutions. It discusses basic approaches and stimulates an appreciation of the need for numerical methods in solving different types of problems. For each of the problems presented, the author provides some mathematical justification and examples. These serve as practical evidence and motivation for the reader to follow. Practical justification of the methods is provided through computer examples and exercises. The book includes an introduction to MATLAB, but the code used is not intended to exemplify sophisticated or robust pieces of software; it is purely illustrative of the method under discussion.