A First Course in Differential Equations (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics)

This book is intended as an alternative to the standard differential equations text, which typically includes a large collection of methods and applications, packaged with state-of-the-art color graphics, student solution manuals, the latest fonts, marginal notes, and web-based supplements. These texts adds up to several hundred pages of text and can be very expensive for students to buy. Many students do not have the time or desire to read voluminous texts and explore internet supplements. Here, however, the author writes concisely, to the point, and in plain language. Many examples and exercises are included. In addition, this text also encourages students to use a computer algebra system to solve problems numerically, and as such, templates of MATLAB programs that solve differential equations are given in an appendix, as well as basic Maple and Mathematica commands.