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  • Textbook
  • © 2011

Fundamentals of Scientific Computing

Authors:

  • Explanations of the most basic and fundamental mathematical and numerical principles that makes a thorough understanding of advanced methods easy

  • A unified approach demonstrating the power of mathematics when applied to different types of problems in mathematical and numerical analysis

  • An introductory tutorial for those who have forgotten their calculus and linear algebra, or never had much of it

  • Presentation of important applications in physics and engineering, representing the most significant types of mathematical models

  • Numerous illustrations for ease of understanding

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Texts in Computational Science and Engineering (TCSE, volume 8)

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Table of contents (20 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XIII
  2. Models and Elementary Mathematics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
  3. Models and elementary mathematics

    1. Introduction

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 3-17
    2. Mathematical Models

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 19-45
    3. Basic Linear Algebra

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 47-65
    4. Analysis Tools

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 67-75
    5. Elementary Functions

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 77-99
  4. Fundamentals in Numerical Analysis

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 101-101
  5. Fundamentals in numerical analysis

    1. The Fourier Transform

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 103-115
    2. Polynomial Expansions

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 117-123
    3. Least Square Problems

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 125-133
  6. Numerical Methods for Differential Equations

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 135-135
  7. Numerical methods for differential equations

    1. Numerical Methods for Differential Equations

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 137-144
    2. Finite Difference Methods

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 145-171
    3. Finite Element Methods

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 173-192
    4. Spectral Methods

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 193-202
  8. Numerical Methods for Algebraic Equations

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 203-203
  9. Numerical methods for algebraic equations

    1. Numerical Solution of Nonlinear Equations

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 205-211
    2. Linear Systems of Equations

      • Bertil Gustafsson
      Pages 213-231
  10. Applications

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 233-233

About this book

The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics  -- Galileo Galilei

 

How is it possible to predict weather patterns for tomorrow, with access solely to today’s weather data? And how is it possible to predict the aerodynamic behavior of an aircraft that has yet to be built?

The answer is computer simulations based on mathematical models – sets of equations – that describe the underlying physical properties. However, these equations are usually much too complicated to solve, either by the smartest mathematician or the largest supercomputer. This problem is overcome by constructing an approximation: a numerical model with a simpler structure can be translated into a program that tells the computer how to carry out the simulation.

This book conveys the fundamentals of mathematical models, numerical methods and algorithms. Opening with a tutorial on mathematical models and analysis, it proceeds to introduce the most important classes of numerical methods, with finite element, finite difference and spectral methods as central tools. The concluding section describes applications in physics and engineering, including wave propagation, heat conduction and fluid dynamics. Also covered are the principles of computers and programming, including MATLAB®.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“Scientific computing is considered to comprise mathematical modeling, numerical analysis as well as issues of programming and implementation. Correspondingly, the book introduces all areas required and structures the material in 5 parts, altogether comprising 19 chapters. … In summary, the books presents the fundamentals of scientific computing in such a way that students from mathematics as well as from science or engineering can benefit.” (Gudula Rünger, Zentralblatt MATH, March, 2012)

Authors and Affiliations

  • , Information Technology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Bertil Gustafsson

About the author

Top CSE scientist

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access