Modern Engineering Mathematics, 6th edition
Published by Pearson (February 21, 2020) © 2020
  • Glyn James
  • Phil Dyke

Title overview

For first-year undergraduate modules in Engineering Mathematics.

Develop understanding and maths skills within an engineering context

Modern Engineering Mathematics, 6th Edition by Professors Glyn James and Phil Dyke, draws on the teaching experience and knowledge of three co-authors, Matthew Craven, John Searl and Yinghui Wei, to provide a comprehensive course textbook explaining the mathematics required for studying first-year engineering. No matter which field of engineering you will go on to study, this text provides a grounding of core mathematical concepts illustrated with a range of engineering applications. Its other hallmark features include its clear explanations and writing style, and the inclusion of hundreds of fully worked examples and exercises which demonstrate the methods and uses of mathematics in the real world. Woven into the text throughout, the authors put concepts into an engineering context, showing you the relevance of mathematical techniques and helping you to gain a fuller appreciation of how to apply them in your studies and future career.

Hallmark Features

  • This textbook explains the mathematics required for students studying first-year engineering with a clear writing style, and links mathematics to what is used in engineering problems in the real world.
  • Over 1200 exercises in this book encourage engagement with understanding of concepts and encourage learning by doing. Many are embedded in frequent, bite-size sections within chapters, to allow active study straight away, and each chapter also contains end-of-chapter review exercises, providing a wealth of practice material.
  • Online ‘refresher units' cover topics students should have encountered at school but which they may not remember and maths they may have not used for some time.
  • Work to do in MATLAB environment as well as MAPLE software is integrated in the text, with icons to show where using these is recommended. The incorporation of these powerful tools shows students how they can be used to support their work in mathematics.
  • Numerical methods have been integrated into the analytical exercises within the chapters of the book so that in your teaching more complex problems can be solved by drawing upon some of these methods in order to more realistically mirror what is used in the real world.

New to this Edition

Integrate powerful mathematics software and tools to support coursework

  • For the first time, R software has been used within examples in Chapter 13 Data Handling and Probability Theory, modernizing this chapter and demonstrating the power of this statistical computing tool.
  • Revised for this edition, the incorporation of MATLAB environment as well as MAPLE software shows students how they can be used to support their work in mathematics.

Bring concepts to life with even more relevant examples and applications 

  • Additional fully worked examples are included in this 6th Edition. These demonstrate relevance to anyone studying engineering for the first time, and reinforce the role of mathematics in the various branches of engineering.
  • An engineering applications section in every chapter provides arresting ways to tackle and model problems and gives much-needed context to different mathematical work that needs to be carried out in the real world.
  • Improvements have been made to a number of diagrams, after these have been built using more modern software.

Enable growth in mathematical skills through a wealth of practice material

  • Updated for this edition, there are more than 1200 exercises in this book to engage students with understanding concepts and encourage learning by doing. Many are embedded in frequent, bite-size sections within chapters, to allow active study straight away, and each chapter also contains end-of-chapter review exercises.

Table of contents

  1. 1 Number, Algebra and Geometry
  2. 2 Functions
  3. 3 Complex Numbers
  4. 4 Vector Algebra
  5. 5 Matrix Algebra
  6. 6 An Introduction to Discrete Mathematics
  7. 7 Sequences, Series and Limits
  8. 8 Differentiation and Integration
  9. 9 Further Calculus
  10. 10 Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations
  11. 11 Introduction to Laplace Transforms
  12. 12 Introduction to Fourier Series
  13. 13 Data Handling and Probability Theory

Author bios

Glyn James was most recently Emeritus Professor in Mathematics at Coventry University and was previously Dean of the School of Mathematical and Information Sciences at Coventry University. He had an active interest in mathematics education and was a past chairman of the Education Committee of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and a member of the Royal Society Mathematics Education Subcommittee. In 1995 he was chairman of the Working Group that produced the report Mathematics Matters in Engineering on behalf of UK professional bodies in engineering and mathematics. He also co-edited five mathematics books and was a member of the advisory boards for three international journals. Sadly, Glyn James passed away in October 2019 during the production of this edition; his enthusiastic input was sorely missed, but this and its companion text Advanced Modern Engineering Mathematics remain a fitting legacy.

Phil Dyke is Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Plymouth. He was a Head of School for 22 years, 18 of these as Head of Mathematics and Statistics. He has over 45 years’ teaching and research experience in Higher Education, much of this teaching engineering students not only mathematics but also marine and coastal engineering. Apart from his contributions to both Modern Engineering Mathematics and Advanced Modern Engineering Mathematics he is the author of 11 other textbooks ranging in topic from advanced calculus, Laplace transforms and Fourier series to mechanics and marine physics. He is now semi-retired, but still teaches, is involved in research, and writes. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Matthew Craven is a Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at the University of Plymouth. For fifteen years, he has taught foundation year courses, postgraduate courses and everything in between. He is also part of the author team for the 5th edition of the companion text, Advanced Modern Engineering Mathematics. He has research interests in computational simulation, real-world operational research, high performance computing and optimisation.

Yinghui Wei is an Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Plymouth. She has taught probability and statistics modules for mathematics programmes as well as for programmes in other subject areas, including engineering, business and medicine. She has broad research interests in statistical modelling, data analysis and evidence synthesis. 

John Searl was Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Mathematical Education at the University of Edinburgh before his retirement. As well as lecturing on mathematical education, he taught service courses for engineers and scientists. His most recent research concerned the development of learning environments that make for the effective learning of mathematics for 16 – 20 year olds. As an applied mathematician he worked collaboratively with (amongst others) engineers, physicists, biologists and pharmacologists, and he is keen to develop problem-solving skills of students and to provide them with opportunities to display their mathematical knowledge within a variety of practical contexts. The contexts develop the extended reasoning needed in all fields of engineering.

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