Van Wyk (Olympic College) focuses on the practical as he describes how to set up equations related to physics and actually solve them on a PC using popular software packages. He begins with the equations of motion, detailing Newton's laws, the motion of planets and Halley's Comet, aerospace missions, baseball, and even skydiving. He proceeds to describe equations associated with vibrations and waves, including those associated with shock absorbers and variable stars, then describes building a differential equation, creating partial differential equations as the shooter with quantum mechanics, and applications from laser pulsed an annex to nerve conduction, fusion reaction, and a space shuttle launch. He includes exercises with each chapter and provides solutions. The accompanying CD-ROM includes Mathematica-based exercise files.. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)