Since the first edition of C++ for Scientists, Engineers and
Mathematicians, many things have changed. Perhaps the most important is
that the ANSI C++ Standard was approved in 1998. The first edition of
this book was incompatible with some parts of the Standard and every
effort has been made to rectify this. The facilities offered by the C++
language have also grown enormously since the first edition. It is not
just the language itself that has grown, but the ANSI Standard also
defines an extensive range of library facilities. I have also made two
changes in emphasis since the first edition. Firstly, since there is so
much important material to cover, some less important features of the
language have been removed. The second change is to try to illustrate
the language by means of complete programs, rather than code fragments.
Hopefully, this will give you more confidence in applying new
techniques. Finally, although C++ is a bigger language than it was, it
is even more fun to use.