Applied scientific computing. With Python (Q1625198)

This book is a valuable contribution, easily readable, in the field of computation of linear and nonlinear systems using Python. It has seven chapters, covering 269 pages. It begins with motivation and mathematical background in Chapter 1. In this chapter it deals with modeling errors -- rounding errors, truncation error, and ill-conditioning. But it does not cover measurement or observational errors. Most measurements are corrupted by random errors, for example, white Gaussian noise. A brief introduction to probability and random processes would have been helpful. Chapters 2 and 3 discuss number representation, errors and numerical calculus. The authors provide examples with Python programming. Linear systems with linear algebra and matrix theory form Chapter 4. It would have been helpful to define linear systems with conditions (a) linearity: $f(x+y) =f(x) +f(y)$ and (b) homogeneity: $f(cx)=cf(x)$. Nonlinear systems can then be defined as those ones that do not comply with linearity conditions. Chapter 5 deals with nonlinear systems and their iterative solution, including Newton and secant methods. This is extended to multidimensional systems. Interpolation is covered in Chapter 6 with examples using Python. It would have been helpful to give references to Horner's rule, splines, and Heun methods, for example. Dynamical systems are covered in the last Chapter 7 with ordinary and simple partial differential equations. Most of the practical problems are time-variant and analog. Some simple digitization techniques and associated errors need to be addressed. The book will be very useful to a vast number of readers in various fields.