This book integrates both classical and modern treatments of difference equations. It contains the most updated and comprehensive material on stability, Z-transform, discrete control theory, and asymptotic theory, continued fractions and orthogonal polynomials. Yet the presentation is simple enough for the book to be used by advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in mathematics, engineering science, and economics. Moreover, scientists and engineers who are interested in discrete mathematical models will find it useful as a reference. The book contains a large set of applications in a variety of disciplines, including neural networks, feedback control, Markov chains, trade models, heat transfer, propagation of plants, epidemic models and host-parasitoid systems. Each section ends with an extensive and highly selected set of exercises.
Second Edition
S.N. Elaydi
An Introduction to Difference Equations
"The presentation is clear. The book provides numerous interesting applications in various domains (life science, neural networks, feedback control, trade models, heat transfers, etc.) and well-selected exercises with solutions."―AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY
From the reviews of the third edition:
"This is the third edition of a well-established textbook which gives a solid introduction to difference equations suitable for undergraduate students. It covers most aspects from classical results to modern topics. In comparison to the previous edition, more proofs, more detailed explanations, and more applications were added. ... Thanks to the many additions, the book stays recent and valuable resource for students and teachers." (G. Teschl, Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten, Issue 202, 2006)