The use of mathematics in the service of social and economic analysis dates back to the 17th century. Then, mainly in German universities, a style of instruction emerged which dealt specifically with detailed presentation of data as it related to public administration. Gottfried Achenwall lectured in this fashion, coining the term statistics. Mathematics arises from many different kinds of problems. At first these were found in commerce, land measurement, architecture and later astronomy; today, all sciences suggest problems studied by mathematicians, and many problems arise within mathematics itself. Mathematics has become indispensable in the modelling of economics, finance, business and management. Without expecting any particular background of the reader, this book provides an introduction to mathematical methods in economics and finance that will be welcomed for its clarity and breadth.
