Author Description

This comprehensive guide to Mathematica, a popular system for solving quantitative problems with a computer, focuses on the specific needs of scientists and engineers. Problems in these fields are often non-trivial, and can push Mathematica (and any computer system) to its limits. Using carefully chosen examples, scientist-author Thomas B. Bahder gives the reader an in-depth understanding of the underlying conceptual structure of Mathematica. In mastering techniques for large calculations and memory management, and in developing efficient programming styles, as Bahder had to do for his own work, readers will learn how productivity can be increased by using the power of Mathematica to decrease the time needed for analytical calculations, computer programming, and data analysis.Highlights: includes a comprehensive tutorial of Mathematica commands and programming idioms; takes the user "under the hood" to explain why commands work and why they fail; provides numerous examples solving real-world, non-trivial problems in differential equations, boundary value problems, vector field theory, and tensors; gives a thorough treatment of evaluation issues that affect long running times and memory management; and contains a step-by-step tutorial for installing FORTRAN and C programs into Mathematica using MathLink.Mathematica for Scientists and Engineers is designed for professionals who need to solve complex mathematical problems. For users who are just getting started, this book provides a fast-paced tutorial introduction to the system. The comprehensive nature of this book lends itself as a reference to the conceptual workings of Mathematica for the practicing scientist and engineer.