Mathematics in Industrial Problems: Part 1 (The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications)

The book is based on a seminar conducted by the author at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications during 1987-88. In this seminar, scientists from industry presented industrial problems to mathematicians, including the mathematical formulation of the problems. The book consists of twenty-two chapters, each one being independent of the others. Each chapter is based on a presentation by one of the speakers; it includes the industrial background, relevant mathematical literature, a list of open mathematical problems and, in some cases, reference to a solution or a partial solution of the problem. Most of the problems, however, are still open and they are addressed to mathematicians. The topics of the book include scattering, control and coding, conservation laws, inverse problems, network optimization, fluid problems, and a variety of free boundary problems in fluid mechanics. The book will be of interest to mathematicians seeking to work on mathematical problems which arise in industry. It will also be of interest to mathematicians and scientists who would like to learn about the interaction between mathematics and industry, what type of problems arise, how they are modelled, etc. Scientists working in industry may also be interested in the book as they discover that some of the topics dealt with are connected to their own work.