This book presents mathematical modelling and the integrated process of formulating sets of equations to describe real-world problems. It describes methods for obtaining solutions of challenging differential equations stemming from problems in areas such as chemical reactions, population dynamics, mechanical systems, and fluid mechanics. Chapters 1 to 4 cover essential topics in ordinary differential equations, transport equations and the calculus of variations that are important for formulating models. Chapters 5 to 11 then develop more advanced techniques including similarity solutions, matched asymptotic expansions, multiple scale analysis, long-wave models, and fast/slow dynamical systems. Methods of Mathematical Modelling will be useful for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in applied mathematics, engineering and other applied sciences.
Rate equations.- Transport equations.- Variational principles.- Dimensional scaling analysis.- Self-similar scaling solutions of differential equations.- Perturbation methods.- Boundary layer theory.- Long-wave asymptotics for PDE problems.- Weakly-nonlinear oscillators.- Fast/slow dynamical systems.- Reduced models for PDE problems.- Modelling in applied fluid dynamics.
