Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets/ ~$ f0 ]$ }, f8 r/ h3 y" z
This book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school 5 \! [. a8 s; {( {) [algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A1 [0 c; g" B0 I
prior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in3 H* Z Z. [, }7 }- n5 F
Chapter 5.) ~" ]. p! O0 u g) B
One can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem. 6 r) C+ C/ U; P& AIt is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering a Y3 q" I& E$ |
problems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and$ W3 W3 }; I# E2 @9 ~
engineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by) U2 U; H S; y" F$ U
spreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader % z, g/ a# G) |! D, R% w1 r/ \' c7 ehas no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.