ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Conservation is a fundamental principle of the physical world. Matter may move around and redistribute but it does not appear or disappear. Hyperbolicity means that news that happen at a given point A, take time before they may affect affairs at another point B. Nonlinear means that the manner in which news propagate depends on what type of news it is. This makes the subject of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws fascinating, rich and challenging to study. These notes form a brief and informal introduction to the mathematical theory of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws. They are intended to give good intuitive foundation for those contemplating to become practitioners in the field. Key concepts are emphasized over mathematical rigor, with the aim of developing good understanding of the mathematical structure of the equations and their solutions. Inevitably, these notes are incomplete, and should serve primarily as a prelude to a good text.
