Introduction to Numerical Methods and MATLAB: Implementations and Applications

This book is an introduction to MATLAB and an introduction to numerical methods. It is written for students of engineering, applied mathematics, and science. The primary objective of numerical methods is to obtain approximate solutions to problems that are not obtainable by other means. This book teaches how the core techniques of numerical methods are used to solve otherwise unsolvable problems of modern technological significance.

The outstanding pedagogical features of this book are:

• use of numerical experiments as a means of learning why numerical methods work and how they fail
• a separate chapter reviewing the basics of applied linear algebra, and how computations involving matrices and vectors are naturally expressed in MATLAB
• use of a range of examples from those that provide a succinct illustration of a basic algorithm, to those that develop solutions to substantial problems in engineering
• consistent use of well-documented and structured code written in the MATLAB idiom
• a library of general purpose routines—the NMM Toolbox—that are readily applied to new problems
• a progressive approach to algorithm development leading the reader to an understanding of the more sophisticated routines in the built-in MATLAB toolbox.

The primary goals of the book are to provide a solid foundation in applied computing, and to demonstrate the implementation and application of standard numerical methods to practical problems. This is achieved by a systematic development of techniques beginning with the simple and ending with the sophisticated. Good programming practice is used throughout to show the reader how to clearly express and document computational ideas. By providing an extensive library of working codes, as well as an exposition of the methods used by the built-in MATLAB toolbox, the reader is challenged by the application of numerical methods to practical problems. This bypasses the ritual of forcing the reader to reinvent simple programs that fail on more technologically significant, practical problems.

Author(s): Gerald W. Recktenwald  

ISBN 10: 0201308606
ISBN 13: 9780201308600
Pages: 786