NUMERICAL METHODS FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS

Numerical analysis is a subject of extreme interest to mathematicians and computer scientists, who will welcome this first inexpensive paperback edition of a groundbreaking classic text on the subject. In an introductory chapter on numerical methods and their relevance to computing, well-known mathematician Richard Hamming ("the Hamming code," "the Hamming distance," and "Hamming window," etc.), suggests that the purpose of computing is insight, not merely numbers. In that connection he outlines five main ideas that aim at producing meaningful numbers that will be read and used, but will also lead to greater understanding of how the choice of a particular formula or algorithm influences not only the computing but our understanding of the results obtained. The five main ideas involve (1) insuring that in computing there is an intimate connection between the source of the problem and the usability of the answers (2) avoiding isolated formulas and algorithms in favor of a systematic study of alternate ways of doing the problem (3) avoidance of roundoff (4) overcoming the problem of truncation error (5) insuring the stability of a feedback system.