Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets, P! Q+ L' L) W, r( {! M8 h
This book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school1 Y3 D5 A9 `4 X5 k9 y. {3 J
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A 6 l0 g2 K+ v4 L6 sprior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in- b; m% ^8 h: |$ K
Chapter 5. 2 F. q. F5 D% [( ?/ P# W6 ]1 ROne can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem." w, G4 [! w9 s3 d; k2 F
It is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering $ S* c f5 C Z* vproblems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and1 z3 j5 n) ?) O" \6 L7 R
engineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by2 _5 N! f* r" a q# q/ j
spreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader5 X W! a) F" a2 S+ L
has no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.