Introduction

Numerical techniques often give straightforward answers to problems that are difficult or impossible to solve with analytic methods. This book acts as a bridge between introductory texts on electromagnetism and the growing list of advanced references on numerical field techniques. Furthermore, electromagnetic theory is cast in a form aligned to numerical techniques. This approach has an added advantage — it can help enhance the intuitive grasp of field theory. Computer solutions are concrete representations of the abstract concepts of vector calculus. The book discusses the areas of physics and engineering, including gas dynamics, thermal transport, and charged-particle optics. It demonstrates the versatility of the numerical methods, which extend to a remarkable spectrum of applications. For example, in the design of a magnet one can apply different techniques to calculate field strength, magnetic forces, strain components and cooling requirements.