Book excerpt: Since the first edition of this book was published in 2001, MapleTM has evolved from Maple V into Maple 13. Accordingly, this new edition has been thoroughly updated and expanded to include more applications, examples, and exercises, all with solutions; two new chapters on neural networks and simulation have also been added. The author has emphasized breadth of coverage rather than fine detail, and theorems with proof are kept to a minimum. This text is aimed at senior undergraduates, graduate students, and working scientists in various branches of applied mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.