Computer Algebra Recipes: A Gourmet's Guide to the Mathematical Models of Science

Aimed at undergraduates in their second or third year, this book is fi lled with examples from a wide variety of disciplines, including biolo gy, economics, medicine, engineering, game theory, physics, chemistry. The text is organized along a spiral, revisiting general topics such as graphics, symbolic computation, and numerical simulation in greater detail and more depth at each turn of the spiral. The heart of the te xt is a large number of computer algebra recipes. These have been desi gned not only to provide tools for problem solving, but also to stimul ate the reader's imagination. Associated with each recipe is a scienti fic model or method and a story that leads the reader through steps of the recipe. The recipes are also included on the CD-ROM enclosed with the book. Each section of recipes is followed by a set of problems th at readers can use to check their understanding or to develop the topi c further.