MATHS 7104 - Numerical Methods

To explore complex systems, physicists, engineers, financiers and mathematicians require computational methods since mathematical models are only rarely solvable algebraically. Numerical methods, based upon sound computational mathematics, are the basic algorithms underpinning computer predictions in modern systems science. Such methods include techniques for simple optimisation, interpolation from the known to the unknown, linear algebra underlying systems of equations, ordinary differential equations to simulate systems, and stochastic simulation under random influences. Topics covered are: the mathematical and computational foundations of the numerical approximation and solution of scientific problems; simple optimisation; vectorisation; clustering; polynomial and spline interpolation; pattern recognition; integration and differentiation; solution of large scale systems of linear and nonlinear equations; modelling and solution with sparse equations; explicit schemes to solve ordinary differential equations; random numbers; stochastic system simulation.