Partial differential equations fall into several areas of mathematics:
many of the greatest advances in modern science have been based on
discovering the underlying
PDE for the process in question. In this book, the emphasis is on the
practical solution of problems rather than the theoretical background. An
introductory chapter
recaps the mathematical preliminaries required and exercises with
solutions are provided. With its companion volume, Analytic Methods for
Partial Differential
Equations, it provides a complete introduction to the subject.

1. Background Mathematics.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Vector and Matrix Norms.- 1.3 Gerschgorin's Theorems.- 1.4 Iterative Solution of Linear Algebraic Equations.- 1.5 Further Results on Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors.- 1.6 Classification of Second Order Partial Differential Equations.- 2. Finite Differences and Parabolic Equations.- 2.1 Finite Difference Approximations to Derivatives.- 2.2 Parabolic Equations.- 2.3 Local Truncation Error.- 2.4 Consistency.- 2.5 Convergence.- 2.6 Stability.- 2.7 The Crank-Nicolson Implicit Method.- 2.8 Parabolic Equations in Cylindrical and Spherical Polar Coordinates.- 3. Hyperbolic Equations and Characteristics.- 3.1 First Order Quasi-linear Equations.- 3.2 Lax-Wendroff and Wendroff Methods.- 3.3 Second Order Quasi-linear Hyperbolic Equations.- 3.4 Reetangular Nets and Finite Difference Methods for Second Order Hyperbolic Equations.- 4. Elliptic Equations.- 4.1 Laplace's Equation.- 4.2 Curved Boundaries.- 4.3 Solution of Sparse Systems of Linear Equations.- 5. Finite Element Method for Ordinary Differential Equations.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 The Collocation Method.- 5.3 The Least Squares Method.- 5.4 The Galerkin Method.- 5.5 Symmetrie Variational Forrnulation.- 5.6 Finite Element Method.- 5.7 Some Worked Examples.- 6. Finite Elements for Partial Differential Equations.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Variational Methods.- 6.3 Some Specific Elements.- 6.4 Assembly of the Elements.- 6.5 Worked Example.- 6.6 A General Variational Principle.- 6.7 Assembly and Solution.- 6.8 Solution of the Worked Example.- 6.9 Further Interpolation Functions.- 6.10 Quadrature Methods and Storage Considerations.- 6.11 Boundary Element Method.- A. Solutions to Exercises.- References and Further Reading.