Over the past decade there has been an increasing demand for suitable
material in the area of mathematical modelling as applied to science and
engineering. There has been a constant movement in the emphasis from
developing proficiency in purely mathematical techniques to an approach
which caters for industrial and scientific applications in emerging new
technologies. In this textbook we have attempted to present the
important fundamental concepts of mathematical modelling and to
demonstrate their use in solving certain scientific and engineering
problems. This text, which serves as a general introduction to the area
of mathematical modelling, is aimed at advanced undergraduate students
in mathematics or closely related disciplines, e.g., students who have
some prerequisite knowledge such as one-variable calculus, linear
algebra and ordinary differential equations. Some prior knowledge of
computer programming would be useful but is not considered essential.
The text also contains some more challenging material which could prove
attractive to graduate students in engineering or science who are
involved in mathematical modelling. In preparing the text we have tried
to use our experience of teaching mathematical modelling to
undergraduate students in a wide range of areas including mathematics
and computer science and disciplines in engineering and science. An
important aspect of the text is the use made of scientific computer
software packages such as MAPLE for symbolic algebraic manipulations and
MA TLAB for numerical simulation.
