Calculus for Dummies | Mark Ryan | Excellent for the non-math type of person

Calculus for Dummies | Mark Ryan | "Dummies" has done it again.

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Calculus for Dummies

	Calculus for Dummies Mark Ryan For Dummies, 2003 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 65 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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.

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Excellent for the non-math type of person

My back-ground: 30+ year old with a BA in Philosophy currently studying comp engineering. The author writes this book for the non mathematician. Explanations of concepts are in plain english. What separates this book from the instructions in a typical text book is the clarity in which the author explains the PURPOSE of each technique and concept. For a non-math type reading the intro to a chapter in a typical text book it is easy to not follow the intent of the concepts involved. Therefore the rest of the chapter seems as if you're just doing more and more complex things, that you do not understand, with functions that have no meaning to you. Without understanding why you are doing what you are doing you will have trouble with the topics in calculus. An example is improper integrals. Without getting to a calculus lesson here if you do not understand what makes an integral improper then you will have trouble solving problems involving them. In general, text books use formal proofs to explain what an improper integral is and how to solve them. This is the case for all concepts in calculus text books. Proofs to show a problem, proofs to show a solution. In C4D the explanations are in simple english with clear descriptions for each step.

The only short comings of the book is that is does not contain problems to practice and it does not offer a very large cache of algebra tricks need for success. I did not find the lack of practice problems to be a serious drawback as practice problems are available from a number of other places e.g. text books, study guides, internet etc... Adding a section on algebra tips and tricks would have made this the best book ever but it is not fair to criticize this book for not having them as no book I have seen has one.

This book is definitely valuable to someone in need of calculus who is not very strong in math.
1) Clearly written explanations instead of mathematical proofs.
2) Tips for remembering how to use the ***load of calculus techniques.
3) Concise cheat-sheet (recommend memorizing it).
4) Covers Calc 1 and much of Calc 2.
5) Helpful in understanding concepts as textbooks (and far too many professors) fail at this.

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"Dummies" has done it again.

This is as good as the other "Dummies" books. A good resource or instructional book. Either way, a winner.

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 pieces. And since math builds on itself, this book seems to follow so closely with my text book it is as if they were written for each other. I think one of the greatest advantages of this book is that in the very beginning Mark explains WHAT calculus is. What a novel concept! Realizing that calculus is primarily broken in to two sections, differentiation and integration, allowed me to get an idea of what lays ahead. And getting "math speak" explained in a plainer english format makes reading my textbook a breeze. I do recommend using this book as a supplement to your text book though...not as a substitute. Using it to aid the material that you are learning in class will increasing your understanding immensely. I'm proof of that. At this point, we've taken our first mid-term exam and I earned a 94%. Thanks Mark!

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not so dumb

This book is great as a refresher and companion to college level calculus books. It may seem, due to the title, that this is for beginners, but it is an enormous help when you draw a blank on that calc. homework assignment. It is also great for a quick review just before a test.

When this book is used with the "Calculus for dummies workbook", it really enhances the standard issue calculus book and helps catch you up in a hurry.

If you need calculus help and your mentor/tutor is just not available, this resource is what you need.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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