Using real-life applications, this graduate-level textbook introduces different mathematical methods of scientific computation to solve minimization problems using examples ranging from locating an aircraft, finding the best time to replace a computer, analyzing developments on the stock market, and constructing phylogenetic trees. The textbook focuses on several methods, including nonlinear least squares with confidence analysis, singular value decomposition, best basis, dynamic programming, linear programming, and various optimization procedures. Each chapter solves several realistic...