This volume is a classic in the pedagogy of applied mathematics. Its three authors are internationally known leaders in their respective research
communities, which span mathematical approaches in astronomy, biology, and
continuum mechanics. They are also naturally gifted teachers who have been
long concerned about curricula and other issues of education and they have
been remarkably successful in showing how mathematics can be applied in
the physical and biological sciences. Students and other readers will sense the
authors' enthusiasm and conviction and will learn that relatively elementary
mathematics can often provide substantial understanding of natural
phenomena.