Numerical Analysis using Matlab and Spreadsheets+ g. A4 u! O: [: d
This book is written primarily for students/readers who have a good background of high-school , `# |$ y. k' a+ ealgebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.* A : J! \! R) x* C" C1 y+ Lprior knowledge of differential equations is desirable but not necessary; this topic is reviewed in) n# t$ y4 e, e4 B
Chapter 5. ]7 e6 j) H. UOne can use Fortran, Pascal, C, or Visual Basic or even a spreadsheet to solve a difficult problem. ( m# V, f: v, NIt is the opinion of this author that the best applications programs for solving engineering* K" K1 i3 ]0 X' |/ M/ R2 F
problems are 1) MATLAB which is capable of performing advanced mathematical and 2 V# l {6 J2 ^: c2 Z( S6 m2 D' G% A/ Dengineering computations, and 2) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet since the versatility offered by7 R) c; f8 n- A0 \; }5 X R6 f6 M! n! T
spreadsheets have revolutionized the personal computer industry. We will assume that the reader 9 g$ C; r; T5 T( R4 r! c$ [: p& Shas no prior knowledge of MATLAB and limited familiarity with Excel.