Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets* _' t# I& N( n: K4 P3 ]
This book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school 2 \7 X# h6 V, T4 W: J, ~7 w7 lalgebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A* T2 s& b8 g( U4 \+ X4 t3 i- Y
prior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in : U T8 t- P) E" r6 EChapter 5.5 h* L: ? R, l6 q( ~8 w
One can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem. $ t. _6 t3 w$ Q+ e# A, V! uIt is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering # x: M0 U) R8 Z' z& E q7 {problems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and) c& f; P/ Y+ k& I2 y# J
engineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by5 B9 Z. H; z# D" w* i
spreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader k |& m4 p2 G3 p2 W5 Z" {" shas no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.