Perturbation Methods (Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics)

Rating:
Summary: Starting Perturbations
Review: This is a nice place to start when learning basic perturbation methods. There are numerous examples and the material is clearly presented. However, there are weak points. One is brevity, as pointed out by the first reviewer. The coverage of the subject of perturbation methods is minimal and some of the topics that are covered are done so with little depth. Another drawback is the emphasis, when discussing applications, on fluids and to a lesser extent mechanics. This makes it somewhat old fashioned. The greatest drawback is the exercises. It is impossible to learn mathematics, and perturbation methods in particular, without doing lots of problems. This text, unfortunately, falls far short in the number and range of problems it provides the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Great Intro to Perturbation Methods
Review: This is a wonderful first introduction to perturbation methods. Extremley readable, my only criticism of this text is its brevity. In some places, it lacks detail and doesn't go very deeply into several areas. However, it is the type of book that one can easily pick up, read and learn something usefull. The author's do lot's of examples and once this text is mastered, the student is certaintly ready to read Kevorkian and Cole's classic text on the subject.