A Short Introduction to Numerical Analysis

-- 2007/05/22 bbs backup --
The extreme difficulty of obtaining solutions by conventional mathematical
analysis has led in the past to the use of highly unrealistic models simply
because they led to equations that could be solved. In fact, the applied
mathematician has been engaged in a continual tussle with his conscience to
decide how far he could go in the direction of distorting his model in order
to make the equations tractable. The point is well made in the ancient jest
about the examination question that began 'An elephant whose mass can be
neglected...'

- M. V. Wilkes
A Short Introduction to Numerical Analysis