Understanding Engineering Mathematics

This book contains most of the material covered in a typical first year mathematics course
in an engineering or science programme. It devotes Chapters 1–10 to consolidating the
foundations of basic algebra, elementary functions and calculus. Chapters 11–17 cover the
range of more advanced topics that are normally treated in the first year, such as vectors
and matrices, differential equations, partial differentiation and transform methods.
With widening participation in higher education, broader school curricula and the wide
range of engineering programmes available, the challenges for both teachers and learners
in engineering mathematics are now considerable. As a result, a substantial part of many
first year engineering programmes is dedicated to consolidation of the basic mathematics
material covered at pre-university level. However, individual students have widely varying
backgrounds in mathematics and it is difficult for a single mathematics course to address
everyone’s needs. This book is designed to help with this by covering the basics in a
way that enables students and teachers to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of
individual students and ‘top up’ where necessary. The structure of the book is therefore
somewhat different to the conventional textbook, and ‘To the student’ provides some
suggestions on how to use it