Solving Ordinary Differential Equations
Svein Ohm Linge, Hans Petter Langtangen · Texts in computational science and engineering · 2019
Differential equations constitute one of the most powerful mathematical tools to understand and predict the behavior of dynamical systems in nature, engineering, and society. A dynamical system is some system with some state, usually expressed by a set of variables, that evolves in time. For example, an oscillating pendulum, the spreading of a disease, and the weather are examples of dynamical systems. We can use basic laws of physics, or plain intuition, to express mathematical rules that govern the evolution of a system in time. These rules take the form of differential equations.