Texts in Computational Science and Engineering
2 primary works
Book 8
The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics -- Galileo Galilei
How is it possible to predict weather patterns for tomorrow, with access solely to today’s weather data? And how is it possible to predict the aerodynamic behavior of an aircraft that has yet to be built?
The answer is computer simulations based on mathematical models – sets of equations – that describe the underlying physical properties. However, these equations are usually much too complicated to solve, either by the smartest mathematician or the largest supercomputer. This problem is overcome by constructing an approximation: a numerical model with a simpler structure can be translated into a program that tells the computer how to carry out the simulation.
This book conveys the fundamentals of mathematical models, numerical methods and algorithms. Opening with a tutorial on mathematical models and analysis, it proceeds to introduce the most important classes of numerical methods, with finite element, finite difference and spectral methods as central tools. The concluding section describes applications in physics and engineering, including wave propagation, heat conduction and fluid dynamics. Also covered are the principles of computers and programming, including MATLAB®.
Book 17
This book explores the most significant computational methods and the history of their development. It begins with the earliest mathematical / numerical achievements made by the Babylonians and the Greeks, followed by the period beginning in the 16th century. For several centuries the main scientific challenge concerned the mechanics of planetary dynamics, and the book describes the basic numerical methods of that time.
In turn, at the end of the Second World War scientific computing took a giant step forward with the advent of electronic computers, which greatly accelerated the development of numerical methods. As a result, scientific computing became established as a third scientific method in addition to the two traditional branches: theory and experimentation.
The book traces numerical methods' journey back to their origins and to the people who invented them, while also briefly examining the development of electronic computers over the years. Featuring 163 references and more than 100 figures, many of them portraits or photos of key historical figures, the book provides a unique historical perspective on the general field of scientific computing - making it a valuable resource for all students and professionals interested in the history of numerical analysis and computing, and for a broader readership alike.