Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets `, b4 o- ]$ z+ C' s+ N/ JThis book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school) A* J. \* } i# d7 Y+ D4 v4 z: `
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A 8 T2 `! B: J1 ^prior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in 9 p% P7 m4 F8 r6 rChapter 5.+ V4 I5 x) `1 a' a
One can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem. - Y& c4 a( B6 ZIt is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering: C. i6 q$ }5 k7 Z6 d# X1 U3 N
problems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and$ T# H, n4 T! t* ~* r* J! Z
engineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by$ m' M% c8 d& X
spreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader2 w. J0 u+ I4 b# h2 E
has no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.