Geared toward undergraduates in the physical sciences and related fields, this text offers a very useful review of mathematical methods that students will employ throughout their education and beyond. A few more difficult topics, such as group theory and integral equations, are introduced with the intention of stimulating interest in these areas. The treatment is supplemented with problems and answers.

An innovative treatment of mathematical methods for a multidisciplinary audience Clearly and elegantly presented, Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering provides a coherent treatment of mathematical methods, bringing advanced mathematical tools to a multidisciplinary audience. The growing interest in interdisciplinary studies has brought scientists from many disciplines such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, economics, and finance together, which has increased the demand for courses in upper-level mathematical techniques. This book succeeds in not only being tuned in to the existing practical needs of this multidisciplinary audience, but also plays a role in the development of new interdisciplinary science by introducing new techniques to students and researchers. Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering's modular structure affords instructors enough flexibility to use this book for several different advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses. Each chapter serves as a review of its subject and can be read independently, thus it also serves as a valuable reference and refresher for scientists and beginning researchers. There are a growing number of research areas in applied sciences, such as earthquakes, rupture, financial markets, and crashes, that employ the techniques of fractional calculus and path integrals. The book's two unique chapters on these subjects, written in a style that makes these advanced techniques accessible to a multidisciplinary audience, are an indispensable tool for researchers and instructors who want to add something new to their compulsory courses. Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering includes: * Comprehensive chapters on coordinates and tensors and on continuous groups and their representations * An emphasis on physical motivation and the multidisciplinary nature of the methods discussed * A coherent treatment of carefully selected topics in a style that makes advanced mathematical tools accessible to a multidisciplinary audience * Exercises at the end of every chapter and plentiful examples throughout the book Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering is not only appropriate as a text for advanced undergraduate and graduate physics programs, but is also appropriate for engineering science and mechanical engineering departments due to its unique chapter coverage and easily accessible style. Readers are expected to be familiar with topics typically covered in the first three years of science and engineering undergraduate programs. Thoroughly class-tested, this book has been used in classes by more than 1,000 students over the past eighteen years.

"Intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in chemistry, physics, math and engineering, this book will also become a must-have for the personal library of all advanced students in the physical sciences. Comprised of more than 2000 problems and 700 worked examples that detail every single step, this text is exceptionally well adapted for self study as well as for course use."--From publisher description.

A clear, practical and self-contained presentation of the methods of asymptotics and perturbation theory for obtaining approximate analytical solutions to differential and difference equations. Aimed at teaching the most useful insights in approaching new problems, the text avoids special methods and tricks that only work for particular problems. Intended for graduates and advanced undergraduates, it assumes only a limited familiarity with differential equations and complex variables. The presentation begins with a review of differential and difference equations, then develops local asymptotic methods for such equations, and explains perturbation and summation theory before concluding with an exposition of global asymptotic methods. Emphasizing applications, the discussion stresses care rather than rigor and relies on many well-chosen examples to teach readers how an applied mathematician tackles problems. There are 190 computer-generated plots and tables comparing approximate and exact solutions, over 600 problems of varying levels of difficulty, and an appendix summarizing the properties of special functions.

A Practical, Interdisciplinary Guide to Advanced Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering, Second Edition, provides students and scientists with a detailed mathematical reference for advanced analysis and computational methodologies. Making complex tools accessible, this invaluable resource is designed for both the classroom and the practitioners; the modular format allows flexibility of coverage, while the text itself is formatted to provide essential information without detailed study. Highly practical discussion focuses on the “how-to” aspect of each topic presented, yet provides enough theory to reinforce central processes and mechanisms. Recent growing interest in interdisciplinary studies has brought scientists together from physics, chemistry, biology, economy, and finance to expand advanced mathematical methods beyond theoretical physics. This book is written with this multi-disciplinary group in mind, emphasizing practical solutions for diverse applications and the development of a new interdisciplinary science. Revised and expanded for increased utility, this new Second Edition: Includes over 60 new sections and subsections more useful to a multidisciplinary audience Contains new examples, new figures, new problems, and more fluid arguments Presents a detailed discussion on the most frequently encountered special functions in science and engineering Provides a systematic treatment of special functions in terms of the Sturm-Liouville theory Approaches second-order differential equations of physics and engineering from the factorization perspective Includes extensive discussion of coordinate transformations and tensors, complex analysis, fractional calculus, integral transforms, Green's functions, path integrals, and more Extensively reworked to provide increased utility to a broader audience, this book provides a self-contained three-semester course for curriculum, self-study, or reference. As more scientific disciplines begin to lean more heavily on advanced mathematical analysis, this resource will prove to be an invaluable addition to any bookshelf.

This book captures some of Pólya's excitement and vision. Its distinctive feature is the stress on the history of certain elementary chapters of science; these can be a source of enjoyment and deeper understanding of mathematics even for beginners who have little, or perhaps no, knowledge of physics.

A complete introduction to the multidisciplinary applications of mathematical methods In order to work with varying levels of engineering and physics research, it is important to have a firm understanding of key mathematical concepts such as advanced calculus, differential equations, complex analysis, and introductory mathematical physics. Essentials of Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering provides a comprehensive introduction to these methods under one cover, outlining basic mathematical skills while also encouraging students and practitioners to develop new, interdisciplinary approaches to their research. The book begins with core topics from various branches of mathematics such as limits, integrals, and inverse functions. Subsequent chapters delve into the analytical tools that are commonly used in scientific and engineering studies, including vector analysis, generalized coordinates, determinants and matrices, linear algebra, complex numbers, complex analysis, and Fourier series. The author provides an extensive chapter on probability theory with applications to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics that complements the following chapter on information theory, which contains coverage of Shannon's theory, decision theory, game theory, and quantum information theory. A comprehensive list of references facilitates further exploration of these topics. Throughout the book, numerous examples and exercises reinforce the presented concepts and techniques. In addition, the book is in a modular format, so each chapter covers its subject thoroughly and can be read independently. This structure affords flexibility for individualizing courses and teaching. Providing a solid foundation and overview of the various mathematical methods and applications in multidisciplinary research, Essentials of Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering is an excellent text for courses in physics, science, mathematics, and engineering at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as a useful reference for scientists and engineers who would like a practical review of mathematical methods.