The Nature of Mathematical Modeling
by Neil Gershenfeld · first published 1999
4mentions
3recommended by
4HN commenters
2009–2017first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% neutral
This is about the nature of mathematical modelling, and the kinds of techniques that are useful for modelling. It is oriented towards simple efficient implementations on computers.
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You're talking about a pretty massive field. That being said The Nature of Mathematical Modeling by Neil Gershenfeld might be what you're looking for. Each chapter is a short (15-25 page) introduction to one common tool in applied mathematics. In that space you'll get an overview of when you might…
on “Ask HN: Books to learn applied maths?” ↗…you recognize a problem that would be easily solved by one of these languages (which would then spur deeper learning of the language). Reminds me of one of my favorite books ever, Gershenfeld's "The Nature of Mathematical Modeling". http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Mathematical-Modeling-Neil-Gers...
on “Seven Languages in Seven Weeks” ↗Neil Gershenfeld is responsible for two of the best courses at MIT: "How to Make (almost) Anything" and "The Nature of Mathematical Modeling". Neither are compatible with healthy sleep habits, but both are transformative. I took NMM and, to this day, one my biggest regrets is never taking "How to Make (almost) Anything."
on “How to Make Almost Anything” ↗…programming to find the answers to complicated questions. What books and online resources (iTunes courses, web sites, etc) are most useful for learning more about how to do this? Right now I'm looking at "the nature of mathematical modeling" by Neil Gershenfeld, and Numerical Recipes in C. Any other advice?
on “Ask HN: retraining for "computational science" and modeling?” ↗