Freshman and sophomore life sciences students respond well to the modeling approach to calculus, difference equations, and differential equations presented in this book. Examples of population dynamics, pharmacokinetics, and biologically relevant physical processes are introduced in Chapter 1, and these and other life sciences topics are developed throughout the text. The students should have studied algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, but may be life sciences students because they have not enjoyed their previous mathematics courses.

This book covers a course of mathematics designed primarily for physics and engineering students. It includes all the essential material on mathematical methods, presented in a form accessible to physics students, avoiding precise mathematical jargon and proofs which are comprehensible only to mathematicians. Instead, all proofs are given in a form that is clear and convincing enough for a physicist. Examples, where appropriate, are given from physics contexts. Both solved and unsolved problems are provided in each section of the book. Mathematics for Natural Scientists: Fundamentals and Basics is the first of two volumes. Advanced topics and their applications in physics are covered in the second volume.

In this textbook on calculus of one variable, applications to the natural sciences play a central role. Examples from biology, chemistry, and physics are discussed in detail without compromising the mathematical aspects essential to learning differential and integral calculus. Calculus for the Natural Sciences distinguishes itself from other textbooks on the topic by balancing theory, mathematical techniques, and applications to motivate students and bridge the gap between mathematics and the natural sciences and engineering; employing real data to convey the main ideas underlying the scientific method; and using SageMath and R to perform calculations and write short programs, thus giving the teacher more time to explain important concepts. This textbook is intended for first-year students in mathematics, engineering, and the natural sciences and is appropriate for a two-semester course on calculus I and II (freshman calculus of one variable). It can also be used for self-study by engineers and natural scientists.

This book identifies the organizing concepts of physical and biological phenomena by an analysis of the foundations of mathematics and physics. Our aim is to propose a dialog between different conceptual universes and thus to provide a unification of phenomena. The role of “order” and symmetries in the foundations of mathematics is linked to the main invariants and principles, among them the geodesic principle (a consequence of symmetries), which govern and confer unity to various physical theories. Moreover, an attempt is made to understand causal structures, a central element of physical intelligibility, in terms of both symmetries and symmetry breakings. A distinction between the principles of (conceptual) construction and of proofs, both in physics and in mathematics, guides most of the work.The importance of mathematical tools is also highlighted to clarify differences in the models for physics and biology that are proposed by continuous and discrete mathematics, such as computational simulations.Since biology is particularly complex and not as well understood at a theoretical level, we propose a “unification by concepts” which in any case should precede mathematization. This constitutes an outline for unification also based on highlighting conceptual differences, complex points of passage and technical irreducibilities of one field to another. Indeed, we suppose here a very common monist point of view, namely the view that living objects are “big bags of molecules”. The main question though is to understand which “theory” can help better understand these bags of molecules. They are, indeed, rather “singular”, from the physical point of view. Technically, we express this singularity through the concept of “extended criticality”, which provides a logical extension of the critical transitions that are known in physics. The presentation is mostly kept at an informal and conceptual level./a

This is a graduate-level textbook for students in the natural sciences. After reviewing the necessary math, it describes the logical path from Newton's laws of motion to our modern understanding of fluid mechanics. It does not describe engineering applications but instead focuses on phenomena found in nature. Once developed, the theory is applied to three familiar examples of flows that can be observed easily in Earth's atmosphere, oceans, rivers and lakes: vortices, interfacial waves, and hydraulic transitions. The student will then have both (1) the tools to analyze a wide range of naturally-occurring flows and (2) a solid foundation for more advanced studies in atmospheric dynamics and physical oceanography. Appendices give more detailed explanations and optional topics.

An accessible undergraduate textbook on the essential math concepts used in the life sciences The life sciences deal with a vast array of problems at different spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. The mathematics necessary to describe, model, and analyze these problems is similarly diverse, incorporating quantitative techniques that are rarely taught in standard undergraduate courses. This textbook provides an accessible introduction to these critical mathematical concepts, linking them to biological observation and theory while also presenting the computational tools needed to address problems not readily investigated using mathematics alone. Proven in the classroom and requiring only a background in high school math, Mathematics for the Life Sciences doesn't just focus on calculus as do most other textbooks on the subject. It covers deterministic methods and those that incorporate uncertainty, problems in discrete and continuous time, probability, graphing and data analysis, matrix modeling, difference equations, differential equations, and much more. The book uses MATLAB throughout, explaining how to use it, write code, and connect models to data in examples chosen from across the life sciences. Provides undergraduate life science students with a succinct overview of major mathematical concepts that are essential for modern biology Covers all the major quantitative concepts that national reports have identified as the ideal components of an entry-level course for life science students Provides good background for the MCAT, which now includes data-based and statistical reasoning Explicitly links data and math modeling Includes end-of-chapter homework problems, end-of-unit student projects, and select answers to homework problems Uses MATLAB throughout, and MATLAB m-files with an R supplement are available online Prepares students to read with comprehension the growing quantitative literature across the life sciences A solutions manual for professors and an illustration package is available

Topics include vector spaces and matrices; orthogonal functions; polynomial equations; asymptotic expansions; ordinary differential equations; conformal mapping; and extremum problems. Includes exercises and solutions. 1962 edition.

How heavy is that cloud? Why can you see farther in rain than in fog? Why are the droplets on that spider web spaced apart so evenly? If you have ever asked questions like these while outdoors, and wondered how you might figure out the answers, this is a book for you. An entertaining and informative collection of fascinating puzzles from the natural world around us, A Mathematical Nature Walk will delight anyone who loves nature or math or both. John Adam presents ninety-six questions about many common natural phenomena--and a few uncommon ones--and then shows how to answer them using mostly basic mathematics. Can you weigh a pumpkin just by carefully looking at it? Why can you see farther in rain than in fog? What causes the variations in the colors of butterfly wings, bird feathers, and oil slicks? And why are large haystacks prone to spontaneous combustion? These are just a few of the questions you'll find inside. Many of the problems are illustrated with photos and drawings, and the book also has answers, a glossary of terms, and a list of some of the patterns found in nature. About a quarter of the questions can be answered with arithmetic, and many of the rest require only precalculus. But regardless of math background, readers will learn from the informal descriptions of the problems and gain a new appreciation of the beauty of nature and the mathematics that lies behind it.

The aim of this book is to introduce the subject of mathematical modeling in the life sciences. It is intended for students of mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering who are curious about biology. Additionally, it will be useful to students of the life sciences and medicine who are unsatisfied with mere description and who seek an understanding of biological mechanism and dynamics through the use of mathematics. The book will be particularly useful to premedical students, because it will introduce them not only to a collection of mathematical methods but also to an assortment of phenomena involving genetics, epidemics, and the physiology of the heart, lung, and kidney. Because of its introductory character, mathematical prerequisites are kept to a minimum; they involve only what is usually covered in the first semester of a calculus sequence. The authors have drawn on their extensive experience as modelers to select examples which are simple enough to be understood at this elementary level and yet realistic enough to capture the essence of significant biological phenomena drawn from the areas of population dynamics and physiology. Because the models presented are realistic, the book can serve not only as an introduction to mathematical methods but also as a mathematical introduction to the biological material itself. For the student, who enjoys mathematics, such an introduction will be far more stimulating and satisfying than the purely descriptive approach that is traditional in the biological sciences.