Undergraduate courses on partial differential equations (PDEs) have traditionally been based on the Fourier series method for analysing and solving PDEs. What this textbook offers is a fresh approach; the traditional method taught alongside the modern finite element method. Both powerful methods are introduced to the reader and emphasised equally. A further beneficial feature of the book is that it uses the language of linear algebra, in particular in emphasising the role of best approximation in function spaces and the idea of an eigenfunction expansion. Its inclusion of realistic physical experiments for many examples and exercises will make the book appealing to science and engineering students, as well as students of mathematics. This second edition has a broader coverage of PDE methods and applications than the first, with the inclusion of chapters on the method of characteristics, Green's functions, Sturm-Liouville problems and a section on finite difference methods.

A fresh, forward-looking undergraduate textbook that treats the finite element method and classical Fourier series method with equal emphasis.

About the Author
Mark Gockenbach is Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University. He is the author of Partial Differential Equations: Analytical and Numerical Methods (SIAM, 2002) and Understanding and Implementing the Finite Element Method (SIAM, 2006). His research interests include inverse problems in partial differential equations and numerical methods and software for large-scale optimization problems.

Reviews
'I love this book and look forward to using it as a text in the future ... It's the first truly modern approach that I've seen in a PDE text.' Maeve McCarthy, MAA Online



Book Information
ISBN 9780898719352
Author Mark S. Gockenbach
Format Hardback
Page Count 674
Imprint Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics,U.S.
Publisher Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics,U.S.
Weight(grams) 1300g
Dimensions(mm) 261mm * 183mm * 35mm