Chapter Objectives

The primary objective of this chapter is to provide you with a concrete idea of what numerical methods are and how they relate to engineering and scientific problem solving. Specific objectives and topics covered are

1. Learning how mathematical models can be formulated on the basis of scientific principles to simulate the behavior of a simple physical system.

2. Understanding how numerical methods afford a means to generate solutions in a manner that can be implemented on a digital computer.

3. Understanding the different types of conservation laws that lie beneath the models used in the various engineering disciplines and appreciating the difference between steady-state and dynamic solutions of these models.

4. Learning about the different types of numerical methods we will cover in this book.

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