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Computer Algebra Recipes

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INTRODUCTION<br />

A. <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Algebra</strong> Systems<br />

Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.<br />

John F. Kennedy, former American president. Speech, 21 May 1963.<br />

Unlike traditional programming languages such as Fortran and C, a computer<br />

algebra language such as Maple allows one to compute not only with numbers,<br />

but also with symbols, formulas, equations, and so on. Using a computer<br />

algebra system (CAS), symbolic computation can be done on the computer, replacing<br />

the traditional pen-and-paper approach with the keyboard/mouse and<br />

computer display. By entering short, simple, transparent commands on the<br />

computer keyboard (which will be referred to as the \classic" approach), or by<br />

selecting mathematical symbols from a palette with the mouse, the CAS user<br />

can quickly and accurately generate symbolic input and output on the computer<br />

screen. Mathematical operations such as di®erentiation, integration, and<br />

series expansion of functions can be done analytically on the computer.<br />

Because it also has numerical capability, a CAS allows the student or the<br />

researcher to tackle all aspects of mathematical modeling, from analytic derivation<br />

and manipulation of the model equations to the analytic or numerical<br />

solution of those equations, to the plotting or animation of the results. One of<br />

the most powerful computer algebra systems currently available is Maple 10,<br />

which will be used in this text. Useful reference books to this CAS are the<br />

Maple user manual [Map05] and the introductory and advanced programming<br />

guides [MGH + 05].<br />

In the two volumes of <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Algebra</strong> <strong>Recipes</strong>, we present classic Maple<br />

worksheets, or \recipes," that demonstrate how a CAS can serve as a valuable<br />

adjunct tool in easily deriving, solving, plotting, and exploring interesting,<br />

modern scienti¯c models chosen from a wide variety of disciplines ranging from<br />

the physical and biological sciences to the social sciences and engineering. The<br />

present book is the second volume and concentrates on mathematically more<br />

advanced models involving linear and nonlinear ordinary and partial di®erential<br />

equations (ODEs and PDEs). The classic Maple worksheet interface, which<br />

requires less computer memory than the standard interface, is used to generate<br />

all the mathematical and graphical output shown in this text.<br />

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