本书旨在支持数值方法的一学期课程。它是为想要学习和应用数值方法以解决工程和科学问题的学生而写的。因此，这些方法是由问题而不是数学驱动的。也就是说，提供了足够的理论，以便学生对技术及其缺点有所了解。

MATLAB？为此类课程提供了良好的环境。尽管可以选择其他环境（例如Excel / VBA，Mathcad）或语言（例如Fortran 90，C ++），但MATLAB当前提供了便捷编程功能与强大的内置数值功能的完美结合。一方面，它的M文件编程环境使学生能够以结构化和连贯的方式实现适度复杂的算法。另一方面，其内置的数字功能使学生能够解决更困难的问题，而无需尝试“重新发明轮子”。第二版的基本内容，组织和教学法在第三版中得以保留。特别是，有意识地保持了会话式写作风格，以使这本书更易于阅读。本书试图直接与读者交流，并在某种程度上被设计为自我教学的工具。

也就是说，该版本与以前的版本在三个主要方面有所不同：（1）两个新章节；（2）几个新章节；（3）修订的作业问题。

This book is designed to support a one-semester course in numerical methods. It has beenwritten for students who want to learn and apply numerical methods in order to solve problems in engineering and science. As such, the methods are motivated by problems ratherthan by mathematics. That said, sufficient theory is provided so that students come awaywith insight into the techniques and their shortcomings.

MATLAB? provides a great environment for such a course. Although other environments (e.g., Excel/VBA, Mathcad) or languages (e.g., Fortran 90, C++) could havebeen chosen, MATLAB presently offers a nice combination of handy programming features with powerful built-in numerical capabilities. On the one hand, its M-file programming environment allows students to implement moderately complicated algorithms in astructured and coherent fashion. On the other hand, its built-in, numerical capabilitiesempower students to solve more difficult problems without trying to “reinvent thewheel.”The basic content, organization, and pedagogy of the second edition are essentiallypreserved in the third edition. In particular, the conversational writing style is intentionallymaintained in order to make the book easier to read. This book tries to speak directly to thereader and is designed in part to be a tool for self-teaching.

That said, this edition differs from the past edition in three major ways: (1) two newchapters, (2) several new sections, and (3) revised homework problems.