Teaching the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations using Excel 5.0

Personal computer-based computational programs have begun to replace procedural programming as the tools of choice for engineering problem solving. These tools offer ease of use along with sufficient computational power to solve realistic problems. Hence, the development time is reduced while retaining sufficient complexity. These advantages are particularly important in the classroom, allowing students to focus initially on algorithms, with little time spent learning the use of the particular tool. Later, the students can develop more sophisticated solutions using the advanced capabilities of the tool. An example is given using Microsoft Excel 5.0, implementing algorithms for solving ordinary differential equations. The simple interface of the spreadsheet can be used to learn the fundamentals of the algorithm, and then the macro language Visual Basic can be used to produce more powerful equation solvers. The final result is an adaptive algorithm that can easily be used to numerically solve complex systems of differential equations. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.