Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets 0 m" u5 S5 P. }1 J7 v& M9 MThis book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school1 N6 }& Q( N$ O0 c. k2 O
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A 9 J# ?$ X+ N/ a/ Cprior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in - S4 @% q* w9 Y# n7 I dChapter 5. + Y* y h' n' z9 x( l& ZOne can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem.! c5 _5 y {7 e) m
It is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering . f% i4 Q& n8 ?1 h: ]' j3 s- kproblems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and / ^& r! Q! O Fengineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by 9 Z& @2 ~' {) U& i* g2 Vspreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader / _% P4 ~, L# t9 a2 w, vhas no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.