"Many areas of scientific research, such as biology, geography, and psychology, involve gathering data and computing results. A number of software packages, such as Mathematica and Maple, have been developed to interpret and share those results with others in a meaningful way. However, without understanding the mathematics behind these programs, one might produce meaningless or erroneous results." "In this non-traditional introduction to the mathematics of scientific computation, the authors use many hands-on examples to provide the reader with the tools and insight necessary for the effective and intelligent use of such software packages."--Jacket.