Book Reviews 373

D. Greenspan and V. Cast&. .* “Numerical Analysis for Applied Mathematics, Science and Engineer-
ing”. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Redwood City, CA, 1988, 341 pages, ISBN o-201-09286-7.

This book, designed for a first course in numerical analysis, presents a broad spectrum of
topics of applied interest. It presupposes only a familiarity with computer programming and
ordinary differential equations. A wide spectrum of nonlinear problems are studied. The authors
had a goal of developing methodology for which the numerical solution of a given problem has
the same qualitative behavior as the analytical solution - the goal of all ‘good’ methods. The
book contains methods for both ordinary and partial differential equations and includes a
chapter on some methods for the NavierStokes equations of fluid mechanics.
Contents:
Chapter 1: Algebraic and Transcendental Systems;
Chapter 2: Approximation;
Chapter 3: Approximate Integration and Differentiation;
Chapter 4: Approximate Solution of Initial Value Problems for Ordinary Differential Equations;
Chapter 5: Approximate Solution of Boundary Value Problems for Ordinary Differential Equa-
tions :
Chapter 6: Elliptic Equations:
Chapter 7: Parabolic Equations;
Chapter 8: Hyperbolic Equations;
Chapter 9: The Navier-Stokes Equations;
Answers;
Bibliography (Mostly to books);
Index. (WPA)

H. Helson, C.M. Pearcy, F.H. Vasilescu and D. Voictdescu (Editors): “Special Cfasses of Linear
Operators and Other Topics” (Proc. 11th Internat. Conf. on Operator Theory, Bucharest, 1986).
Birkhkser, Basel, 1988,322 pages, US !%&OO, ISBN 3-7643-1970-4.

These Proceedings, constituting Volume 28 of Operator Theory: Advances and Applications,

consist of 22 papers delivered at the above conference. The papers reflect most of the topics dealt
with in modern operator theory including recent advances in dual operator algebras and the
invariant subspace problem, operators in indefinite metric spaces, hyponormal, quasitriangular,
and decomposable operators, various problems in C* and W* algebras and so on. The
conference attendees, while primarily Romanian, did attract worldwide interest. (WPA)

V. Komkov: “ Variational Principles of Continuum Mechanics with Engineering Applications, Vol. 2:

Introduction to Optimal Design Theory”. D. Reidel Publishing Co., 1988, 276 pages, Dfl.
14O.OO/US !$69.00/&43.00, ISBN 90-277-2639-6.

This hastily prepared second volume concentrates on optimal design and the mathematical
techniques which facilitate it. Chapter 1 is devoted to coordinate changes and variation of the
coefficients. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 are devoted to group-theoretic methods, symmetry, invariance