Synopsis
The target audience of this book is students and researchers in computational sciences who need to develop computer codes for solving partial differential equations. The exposition is focused on numerics and software related to mathematical models in solid and fluid mechanics. The book teaches finite element methods, and basic finite difference methods from a computational point of view. The main emphasis regards development of flexible computer programs, using the numerical library Diffpack. The application of Diffpack is explained in detail for problems including model equations in applied mathematics, heat transfer, elasticity, and viscous fluid flow. Diffpack is a modern software development environment based on C++ and object-oriented programming. All the program examples, as well as a test version of Diffpack, are available for free over the Internet.
Review
The book explains the difficulties of the mathematics as well as the intricacies involved when the PDEs are ``linearized'' into systems of algebraic equations and solved in various ways. ... With each level of complexity, relevant sample problems are solved using the Diffpack software to demonstrate how the problem can be solved. My usual complaint for technical books is that they either go too far with examples and don't provide enough background, or they do the opposite and go too far with theory and leave the reader with no concrete way to apply it. In my opinion, this book has struck the balance well. I wholeheartedly recommend it as a general text on the topic. Summary: Excellent book, powerful software, well-written, well-documented, but steep learning curve. (The Linux Journal, December, 1999 (by Jim Moore)) -- The Linux Journal, December, 1999 (by Jim Moore)
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