ABSTRACT
The solution of chemical engineering models on a computer involves the use of numerical methods. This chapter covers the fundamentals of numerical methods with an emphasis on application using MATLAB®. The topics include solving systems of linear equations, finding roots of equations, polynomial approximation (including interpolation and curve fitting), numerical differentiation and integration, optimization, and solving ordinary and partial differential equations. It is assumed that the reader is already familiar with the underlying theories of the topics covered, so this chapter only provides a cursory overview of the theories where necessary and is focused on the use of MATLAB built-in functions -->for specific numerical methods. MATLAB has very convenient graphing capabilities and powerful built-in functions for almost all key numerical methods. This chapter serves as a primer on general programming and algorithm implementation using MATLAB while also presenting MATLAB as a viable problem-solving tool for chemical engineers.
