Monday, October 24, 2011

Abramowitz and Stegun: Handbook of Mathematical Functions



“The present volume is an outgrowth of a Conference on Mathematical Tables held at Cambridge, Mass., on September 15-16, 1954, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the need for mathematical tables in the light of the availability of large scale computing machines. It was the consensus of opinion that in spite of the increasing use of the new machines the basic need for tables would continue to exist.


Numerical tables of mathematical functions are in continual demand by scientists and engineers. A greater variety of functions and higher accuracy of tabulation are now required as a result of scientific advances and, especially, of the increasing use of automatic computers. In the latter connection, the tables serve mainly for preliminary surveys of problems before programming for machine operation. For those without easy access to machines, such tables are, of course, indispensable...”


You can view or download the tenth printing of this famous reference here: http://people.math.sfu.ca/~cbm/aands/

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