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Computation provides new sources of unfolding and investigating scientific and mathematical systems. The field of computer science studies the nature of computation and its uses, among other things. Simulation by computer may be the only way to predict how certain complicated systems develop. Scientific laws give algorithms, or procedures, for determining how systems behave. The computer program is a medium in which the algorithms can be expressed and applied. Physical objects and mathematical structures can be represented as numbers and symbols in a computer, and a program can be written to manipulate them according to the algorithms. When the computer program is executed, it causes the numbers and symbols to be modified in the way specified by the scientific laws. It thereby allows the consequences of the laws to be deduced. Executing a computer program is much like performing an experiment. Unlike the physical objects in a conventional experiment, however, the objects in a computer experiment are not bound by the laws of nature. Instead they follow the laws embodied in the computer program, which can be of any consistent form. Computation thus extends the realm of experimental science: it allows experiments to be performed in a hypothetical universe. Computation also extends theoretical science. It is important for our society of the near future that every educated person understand some of the principles on which computers operate; and second, that there is an important relationship between mathematics education and computers, both in the sense that the mathematics curriculum can contribute significantly towards teaching students about computers, as well as in the sense that computers have a role to play in mathematics education.

This book ‘Computers in Science and Mathematics’ provides an overview of the latest research in these areas and assessment of the role of the computer as a tool driving profound change by examining the role of computers in changing the face of the sciences and mathematics. It is the only periodical devoted specifically to using information technology in the teaching of mathematics and science. It provides a medium of exchange for those engaged in fields where there exists a non-trivial interplay between mathematics and computers. This book shows scientists and engineers how Mathematics can be used to do scientific computations.