In the early 1960s, when computers first became freely available to academic
scientists, they spawned a whole new area of mathematics. Suddenly, for
example, the solution of a system of 30 linear equations in 30 unknowns
reduced to a problem that could be solved in a straightforward fashion on a
computer using Gaussian elimination. A whole host of other applications,
whose computational efforts were previously prohibitive, became feasible
with the new technology. In addition, the availability of the technology
itself spurred mathematicians to invent new methods of solution for existing
and emerging problems. As we begin the first decade of this century, the
exploitation of computers in mathematics has become very diverse. Some
researchers use "blackbox" library routines to solve problems arising from
physical situations. Others are engaged in developing software for such
routines. Yet others are carrying out fundamental research in the capacities
of existing methods and the design of new ones. But perhaps the best
evidence of the effect the computer has had on mathematics in recent years
can be seen in the undergraduate curriculum. Most university degrees
in mathematics would now be regarded as incomplete without courses in
discrete mathematics and numerical analysis - both subjects that have
come to prominence because of modern computer technology.