4. Solving Equations

Solving equations or systems of equations is central to most of the problems engineers face. In this field, symbolic computation can play a significant role. As with integrals, there are few equations for which an explicit form of the solution can be found, and it is often better to look directly for information about the solutions (series or asymptotic expansions, evaluations, derivatives, etc.) rather than attempting to solve them. However, one must keep in mind the cases where an explicit solution is possible and know how to arrive at it.