The mere thought of having to take a required calculus course is enough to make legions of students break out in a cold sweat. Others who have no intention of ever studying the subject have this notion that calculus is impossibly difficult unless you happen to be a direct descendant of Einstein.
Well, the good news is that you can master calculus. It's not nearly as tough as its mystique would lead you to think. Much of calculus is really just very advanced algebra, geometry, and trig. It builds upon and is a logical extension of those subjects. If you can do algebra, geometry, and trig, you can do calculus.
Calculus For Dummies is intended for three groups of readers:
Students taking their first calculus course - If you're enrolled in a calculus course and you find your textbook less than crystal clear, this is the book for you. It covers the most important topics in the first year of calculus: differentiation, integration, and infinite series.
Students who need to brush up on their calculus to prepare for other studies - If you've had elementary calculus, but it's been a couple of years and you want to review the concepts to prepare for, say, some graduate program, Calculus For Dummies will give you a thorough, no-nonsense refresher course.
Adults of all ages who'd like a good introduction to the subject - Non-student readers will find the book's exposition clear and accessible. Calculus For Dummies takes calculus out of the ivory tower and brings it down to earth.
This is a user-friendly math book. Whenever possible, the author explains the calculus concepts by showing you connections between the calculus ideas and easier ideas from algebra and geometry. Then, you'll see how the calculus concepts work in concrete examples. All explanations are in plain English, not math-speak. Calculus For Dummies covers the following topics and more:
Real-world examples of calculus
The two big ideas of calculus: differentiation and integration
Why calculus works
Pre-algebra and algebra review
Common functions and their graphs
Limits and continuity
Integration and approximating area
Sequences and series
Don't buy the misconception. Sure calculus is difficult - but it's manageable, doable. You made it through algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Well, calculus just picks up where they leave off - it's simply the next step in a logical progression.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Great book!:
Calculus for Dummies
This book takes careful reading if you date back to the forties and second year high school algebra, but put some effort into it and you can certainly gain more than a little insight into the subject. It is well written, holds one's attention, and gives the reader a laugh now and then - a critical element in any book, in my view. I got this book to satisfy my own curiosity, and not for some technical or scholastic effort.
It works.
It's Alright:
I've had a lot of trouble in the past with calculus and had to retake it again last semester in college. I bought this book along with the problem book, but it didn't help me as much as I thought it would. The language was the same as the calculus book I was using and wasn't as entertaining to read. This book helped only because it gave me a different perspective on the material, but I was looking for something worded differently.
AMAZING!:
I am a college student who enrolled in calculus for the first time this semester. I had ordered this book prior to starting class but it had not arrived before our first meeting. I was really worried that I would not be able to understand the material after the first lecture. I read the text book and it still did not make much sense. About a week after class started, Calculus for Dummies arrives in the mail. WOW! Mark Ryan does such an amazing job of breaking difficult concepts into more than manageable... more info
Incorrect formulas:
Seriously? There's a "Cheat Sheet" in the front of the book I purchased and there are at least 3 formulas incorrect. I hope no student took this in for a cheat sheet on an exam. I'd be cautious in believing what this book says.
