Introduction

Abstract

Let’s start by telling what you will not find in this book. This is not the place to find advanced treatment of any of the important tools for systems engineering. Instead, you will be introduced to systems and artificial intelligence concepts and ways to solve problems with personal computers. The instructions are aimed at beginners, but the interactive computer programs allow you to proceed at your own pace. Although most chemical engineering and environmental engineering departments make use of computers and some of the modern systems techniques, it is unusual to have one course that introduces artificial intelligence, fuzzy operations, extreme value theory, and other fairly recent developments. Our goal is to simplify and popularize to the point where a brief introduction is understandable and appetites are whetted for further study.