Elementary Differential Equations

by William E. Boyce

The 10th edition of Elementary Differential Equations, like its predecessors, is written from the viewpoint of the applied mathematician, whose interest in differential equations may sometimes be quite theoretical, sometimes intensely practical, and often somewhere in between. The authors have sought to combine a sound and accurate (but not abstract) exposition of the elementary theory of differential equations with considerable material on methods of solution, analysis, and approximation that have proved useful in a wide variety of applications. While the general structure of the book remains unchanged, some notable changes have been made to improve the clarity and readability of basic material about differential equations and their applications. In addition to expanded explanations, the 10th edition includes new problems, updated figures and examples to help motivate students. The book is written primarily for undergraduate students of mathematics, science, or engineering, who typically take a course on differential equations during their first or second year of study. The main prerequisite for reading the book is a working knowledge of calculus, gained from a normal two-, or three-semester course sequence or its equivalent. Some familiarity with matrices will also be helpful in the chapters on systems of differential equations.

Genres: Mathematics, Reference, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Science, Technical, Education

672 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[WarpDrive · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, solid and reliable book about ordinary differential equations, tailored for undergraduate-level students.

Conceptually lucid, provided with many relevant exercises, this book explores the whole subject at beginner-intermediate level, and it requires only previous knowledge of linear algebra and multivariate calculus.

The progression is gentle, and there are also some items (such as numerical analysis, Bessel's equations, nonlinear/almost linear systems and stability, and Liapunove's second method) that are well explained in this book and that are not always present at this introductory-intermediate level.

I like the the fact that the theoretical analysis is always supported with many examples, exercises and graphs, and I appreciated the author's approach of utilizing a mixture of numerical and analytical techniques to solve some of the more complex problems. Just note that this book has an "applicative" and pragmatic focus, so if you are mostly interested in a comprehensive theoretical framework of the subject, then this book is probably not ideal.

A pleasure to read, perfect for a quick but not trivial review / overview of the subject. 4 stars.

[Gabriel Mintzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book because it highlights a number of important techniques for solving differential equations as well as approximating solutions to others. I especially enjoyed the visuals, which helped clarify many important concepts, especially the approximation of nonlinear differential equations by linear ones. The section regarding the applications of the theory of differential equations to modeling population dynamics and chaos is great, too. Overall, I would suggest this book to anyone who plans on studying science or mathematics.

[Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skipped the last sections on nonlinear ODEs. This book is excellent for undergraduate level entry into ODE, with countless exercises typical of early undergraduate courses.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an applied mathematics textbook, this textbook was fantastic, however as a guide to help someone gracefully move from advanced calculus to differential equations, this book lacks power. This may not have been the intention of Boyce in the first place, but I cannot give it five stars as a result.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

terrible class, but the book was helpful and easy to read and understand.

[dead letter office · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um... oops. Next time I'll definitely use Blanchard, Devaney, and Hall. My bad.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't a great textbook.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better as a reference for those who already know the material than as a textbook for those who are still learning.

[Ryan Pennell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that through reading the chapters and doing the example problems that for the most part this book was a good at explaining the material.

[Ale · Rating 1 out of 5]

This textbook was not very helpful. It was a tedious read; as such, I relied heavily on lecture notes for studying instead of the text.