Mathematical Modelling Techniques

One thousand word limit to this review, eh? Well, I could do it in one word: Fantastic. This book approaches mathematical modelling from a conceptual level, with Rutherford explaining how to make numbers dance through equations any which way you want them. His depth of knowledge as a Chemical Engineer, combined with his fantastic mathematical skills means that he has knows what needs to be done in various situations and how best to do it. The attribute that makes this, and all of Rutherfords work stand out from the rest of the pack, is his undeniable presence when writing. Rhetoric, personal insights and may the dry-and-dusty-academic world forgive him, humour (!) can be found throughout this book, making its reading quite pleasurable.Finally, a number of thoughtful articles of his have been bound into the back of this edition, providing useful "food for thought" for those people for whom modelling is a way of life. If you are considering any of the finer points of mathematical modelling (I was doing a PhD on the subject), this book is a must-have (not just a must-read). You'll come back to it time and time again for the articles, long after you've digested the rest of the book.

This book gives an amazing introduction to mathematical modelling techniques for engineers and scientists along with excellent useful tools for model development. Further, the appendices provide very illustrative example cases of the methods developed.