Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000000219075 | QA76.95 B78 1989 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
The interaction between computer and mathematics is becoming more and more important at all levels as computers become more sophisticated. This book shows how simple programs can be used to do significant mathematics. The purpose of this book is to give those with some mathematical background a wealth of material with which to appreciate both the power of the microcomputer and its relevance to the study of mathematics. The authors cover topics such as number theory, approximate solutions, differential equations and iterative processes, with each chapter self-contained. Many exercises and projects are included giving ready made material for demonstrating mathematical ideas. Only a fundamental knowledge of mathematics is assumed and programming is restricted to 'basic BASIC' which will be understood by any microcomputer. The book may be used as a textbook for algorithmic mathematics at several levels, with all the topics covered appearing in any undergraduate mathematics course.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
For students of the hard sciences, laboratory exercises make difficult concepts palpable and provide access to the process of discovery. This book offers to mathematics students a similiar experience through the use of computers. The authors describe a wide range of computer experiments illustrating the topics in the undergraduate curriculum that are amenable to computation: number theory, the theory of equations, plane curves, mathematical constants, differential equations, and iteration of real functions. These subjects are developed artfully, and should generate considerable enthusiasm among students who might otherwise find mathematics too abstract. Unfortunately, the authors choose to rely on the BASIC programming language because it is widely known and nearly universally available. This has drawbacks. First, some applications, those involving symbolic manipulation or computer algebra, are thus out of reach. Worse, unstructured BASIC code, without comments or descriptive variable names, is opaque, a poor model for novice programmers. The authors emphasize that their applications do not require much computer power, but the increase in speed and memory of microcomputers surely is opening up new possibilities. One hopes there will be more books like this, incorporating topics such as fractals, combinatorics, and knot theory, perhaps for more advanced students. D. V. Feldman University of New Hampshire
Table of Contents
| Preface |
| Note on programs and machines |
| 1 Numbers: part 1 |
| 2 Equations |
| 3 Curves: part 1 |
| 4 Numbers: part 2 |
| 5 Curves: part 2 |
| 6 Special numbers |
| 7 Differential equations |
| 8 Iteration of real functions |
