This book is mostly based on a series of notes for a primer course in electrical and computer engineering that I taught at the City College of New York School of Engineering. Each week, the class met for an hour of lecture and a three-hour computer laboratory session where students were divided into small groups of 12 to 15 students each. The students met in an informal learning community setting, a computer laboratory, where each student had the exclusive use of a PC. The small size of the groups permitted a great deal of individualized instruction, which was a key ingredient to cater successfully to the needs of students with heterogeneous high school backgrounds.

Engineers around the world depend on MATLAB for its power, usability, and outstanding graphics capabilities. Yet too often, engineering students are either left on their own to acquire the background they need to use MATLAB, or they must learn the program concurrently within an advanced course. Both of these options delay students from solving realistic design problems, especially when they do not have a text focused on applications relevant to their field and written at the appropriate level of mathematics.Ideal for use as a short-course textbook and for self-study Elementary Mathematical and Computational Tools for Electrical and Computer Engineers Using MATLAB fills that gap. Accessible after just one semester of calculus, it introduces the many practical analytical and numerical tools that are essential to success both in future studies and in professional life. Sharply focused on the needs of the electrical and computer engineering communities, the text provides a wealth of relevant exercises and design problems. Changes in MATLAB's version 6.0 are included in a special addendum.The lack of skills in fundamental quantitative tools can seriously impede progress in one's engineering studies or career. By working through this text, either in a lecture/lab environment or by themselves, readers will not only begin mastering MATLAB, but they will also hone their analytical and computational skills to a level that will help them to enjoy and succeed in subsequent electrical and computer engineering pursuits.