This book contains an extensive illustration of use of finite difference method in solving the boundary value problem numerically. A wide class of differential equations has been numerically solved in this book. Starting with differential equations of elementary functions like hyperbolic, sine and cosine, we have solved those of special functions like Hermite, Laguerre and Legendre. Those of Airy function, of stationary localised wavepacket, of the quantum mechanical problem of a particle in a 1D box, and the polar equation of motion under gravitational interaction have also been solved. Mathematica 6.0 has been used to solve the system of linear equations that we encountered and to plot the numerical data. Comparison with known analytic solutions showed nearly perfect agreement in every case. On reading this book, readers will become adept in using the method.

The book presents in comprehensive detail numerical solutions to boundary value problems of a number of non-linear differential equations. Replacing derivatives by finite difference approximations in these differential equations leads to a system of non-linear algebraic equations which we have solved using Newton's iterative method. In each case, we have also obtained Euler solutions and ascertained that the iterations converge to Euler solutions. We find that, except for the boundary values, initial values of the 1st iteration need not be anything close to the final convergent values of the numerical solution. Programs in Mathematica 6.0 were written to obtain the numerical solutions.

This book contains an extensive illustration of use of finite difference method in solving the boundary value problem numerically. A wide class of differential equations has been numerically solved in this book. Starting with differential equations of elementary functions like hyperbolic, sine and cosine, we have solved those of special functions like Hermite, Laguerre and Legendre. Those of Airy function, of stationary localised wavepacket, of the quantum mechanical problem of a particle in a 1D box, and the polar equation of motion under gravitational interaction have also been solved. Mathematica 6.0 has been used to solve the system of linear equations that we encountered and to plot the numerical data. Comparison with known analytic solutions showed nearly perfect agreement in every case. On reading this book, readers will become adept in using the method.

Containing an extensive illustration of the use of finite difference method in solving boundary value problem numerically, a wide class of differential equations have been numerically solved in this book.