ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the features of Excel that provide for solutions of single or simultaneous linear and nonlinear equations. It describes the use of the Goal Seek feature, use of the Solver feature, iterative techniques, and matrix inversion with the associated matrix operations. The chapter discusses the creation of macros. Nonlinear equations may be easily solved for real roots by using the Goal Seek feature, which is called by clicking DATA/FORECAST/What-If-Analysis/Goal Seek. Goal Seek uses an iterative scheme to solve the equation, and an initial guess must be provided to start the computation. Solver and Goal Seek offer alternate ways to solve nonlinear equations, although both employ iterative methods. For nonsparse matrices, matrix inversion may be an attractive solution method. Excel provides an easy procedure for obtaining such solutions. The Solver Results dialog box offers additional options beyond keeping or rejecting a solution. When a solution is found, Solver also provides three types of reports: Answer, Sensitivity, and Limits reports.
