Mathematics is playing an ever more important role in the physical and biological sciences, provoking a blurring of boundaries between scientific disciplines and a resurgence of interest in the modern as well as the classical techniques of applied mathematics. This renewal of interest, both in re search and teaching, has led to the establishment of the series Texts in Applied Mathematics (TAM). The development of new courses is a natural consequence of a high level of excitement on the research frontier as newer techniques, such as numeri cal and symbolic computer systems, dynamical systems, and chaos, mix with and reinforce the traditional methods of applied mathematics. Thus, the purpose of this textbook series is to meet the current and future needs of these advances and to encourage the teaching of new courses. TAM will publish textbooks suitable for use in advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses, and will complement the Applied Mathe matical Sciences (AMS) series, which will focus on advanced textbooks and research-level monographs. Pasadena, California J.E. Marsden Providence, Rhode Island L. Sirovich Houston, Texas M. Golubitsky College Park, Maryland S.S. Antman Preface to the Third Edition It is more than 25 years since I finished the manuscript of the first edition of this volume, and it is indeed gratifying that the book has been in use over such a long period and that the publishers have requested a third edition.
