ABSTRACT
Depending on one's mathematical background, this chapter reviews certain aspects of linear algebra and differential equations. It provides the reader with the necessary background in linear algebra and differential equations for the purposes of this text. Linear algebra serves as a powerful unifying force for many seemingly disparate areas of mathematics, and it has immense practical importance in such diverse fields as numerical analysis, graph theory, stochastic processes, linear programming, and differential equations. The chapter considers a few examples that illustrate the utility of matrices and matrix notation. The first example involves the description of the forces involved in a mildly tangled mass-spring system. A differential equation is an equation that involves one or more derivatives of an unknown function. These equations may range from the fairly simple to the extremely complex.
