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Scientific computing is about developing mathematical models, numerical
methods and computer implementations to study and solve real problems in science,
engineering, business and even social sciences. Mathematical modeling requires
deep understanding of classical numerical methods. There are a number of
commercial and open source tools available which provide a rich collection of builtin
mathematical functions. These tools are widely used by researchers to model,
solve and simulate mathematical problems. These tools also offer easy to use
programming languages for users to develop more functions.
This book is divided into two parts. In the first part, we present an open source
tool, numEclipse. It is a Java based tool modeled after MATLAB@ and it is
implemented as a plug-in for Eclipse, which is a leading integrated development
environment (IDE) for Java programming. In the second part, we study the classical
methods of numerical analysis. We present the numerical algorithms and their
implementations using numEclipse.
Although we have tried to make this book as self-contained as possible,
knowledge of calculus, linear algebra and differential equations is a prerequisite.
Some exposure to a programming language will be helpful to follow the computer
programs.
Such a small volume as this book cannot do justice to the vast area of classical
numerical methods. The choice of some of the topics is based on our own
preferences and teaching experience. This book provides enough foundations for a
beginner to venture into more advanced texts in the subject area. |