Programming for Computations -Python :A Gentle Introduction to Numerical Simulations with Python 3.6, 2nd Ed.

This second edition of the book presents computer programming as a key method for solving mathematical problems and represents a major revision: all code is now written in Python version 3.6 (the first edition was based on Python version 2.7). The first two chapters of the previous edition have been extended and split up into five new chapters, thus expanding the introduction to programming from 50 to 150 pages. Throughout, explanations are now more complete, previous examples have been modified, and new sections, examples, and exercises have been added. Also, errors and typos have been corrected. The book was inspired by the Springer book TCSE 6, A Primer on Scientific Programming with Python (by Langtangen), but the style is more accessible and concise in keeping with the needs of engineering students. The book outlines the shortest possible path from no previous experience with programming to a set of skills that allows the students to write simple programs for solving common mathematical problems with numerical methods in engineering and science courses. The emphasis is on generic algorithms, clean design of programs, use of functions, and automatic tests for verification.