Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets" ]+ I( I8 |! ]9 U
This book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school$ t! n2 E5 Y4 V9 x
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A& A% H6 l) I; I8 B" }/ S% B9 p+ F7 U
prior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in h* @8 N+ q2 Q. H. rChapter 5.4 p. g# y% ? B- T' D- v! D+ L
One can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem.5 d4 g' c! V* h% f
It is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering 9 [6 \, q( t# _7 t7 i- j) gproblems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and 0 W! j) i4 Q8 n% t0 Eengineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by # z2 j, _1 y' s: n i+ Qspreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader( ~* P6 I+ j/ ]$ Q3 @: `
has no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.