Today's scientist or engineer has many more computerized problem solving environments available than those of only a short time ago and so they are less dependant on mastering a scientific programming language such as FORTRAN. Many universities have made the switch to teaching the programming language C to science and engineering students, as it is still necessary in many fields to be able to produce one's own programs. This text teaches the essentials of C programming, concentrating on what the reader needs to know to produce working stand-alone programs to solve typical scientific and engineering problems. It is a learning-by-doing book with many examples and exercises and lays a foundation of scientific programming concepts and techniques that will prove valuable for those who might eventually move on to another language. The text is written for undergraduate students who are literate with a computer and typical applications but are new to programming.