Applied Numerical Methods for Engineers and Scientists

The availability of inexpensive high-speed computing power makes the numerical solution of even complex engineering problems economically feasible. In the face of ever-increasing demands on the engineering profession to perform better, students preparing to face the challenges of the twenty-first century should learn not only the theory behind the numerical methods, but also acquire the skills needed to implement the methods for computer solution. In addition, students should be aware of the many commercial software systems available and their appropriate uses in the solution of engineering problems. The student should be in a position to intelligently select and use suitable numerical methods and software systems as the need arises in practice. He or she should solve a given problem using different approaches with a variety of software systems and experiment with the various parameters of the problem. This book is intended for courses on numerical methods at the junior/senior level as well as at the beginning graduate level. The book also serves as a reference for numerical methods in engineering.Special Features: *In derivations and developments, steps needed for continuity of understanding have been included to aid the reader at the introductory level. *A variety of engineering applications are presented. More than 800 problems are included. *Review questions are given to help students in reviewing and testing their understanding of the text material. These include multiple choice questions, questions with brief answers, true(false questions, questions involving matching of related descriptions, and fill-in-the-blank type questions. *Several open-ended project- and design-type problems are included at the end of each chapter. *Examples and problems based on MATLAB, Maple, and Mathcad are included in each chapter. *Representative Fortran 90 and C programs are given in the book and several additional programs can be found at the course website. *Helpful appendices describing the basics of Fortran 90, C Language, MATLAB, Maple, Mathcad, and matrix algebra are included. *Brief biographical information and photographs of scientists and mathematicians who contributed to the development of numerical methods are given in the book.