Calculus for Biology and Medicine

by Claudia Neuhauser

This volume teaches calculus in the biology context without compromising the level of regular calculus. The material is organized in the standard way and explains how the different concepts are logically related. Each new concept is typically introduced with a biological example; the concept is then developed without the biological context and then the concept is tied into additional biological examples. This allows readers to first see why a certain concept is important, then lets them focus on how to use the concepts without getting distracted by applications, and then, once readers feel more comfortable with the concepts, it revisits the biological applications to make sure that they can apply the concepts. The book features exceptionally detailed, step-by-step, worked-out examples and a variety of problems, including an unusually large number of word problems. The volume begins with a preview and review and moves into discrete time models, sequences, and difference equations, limits and continuity, differentiation, applications of differentiation, integration techniques and computational methods, differential equations, linear algebra and analytic geometry, multivariable calculus, systems of differential equations and probability and statistics. For faculty and postdocs in biology departments.

Genres: Mathematics, Science, Textbooks, Academic

822 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 2000

Reviews

[Liam Townsend · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find calculus to be a very exciting subject, and so I opened up Neuhauser's book with the right frame of mind. The subject has a lot of application to medicine and biology, but this textbook fails to bring students a reasonable learning experience. I find it surprising that, despite being on its third edition, the book still reads like a draft in need for a few more readings by an editor. I cannot fathom why professors still assign this lousy textbook. Here's why.

1.) It has numerous errors. Many of the answers in the back of the book are not correct. Sometimes these errors are small, such as mixing up a 4 with a 9. Other times these errors are more substantial.

2.) Though it does have exercises related to biology and medicine, there are not nearly enough, and explanations are rarely given. I've seen about equal amounts of biomedical word questions in other non-biomedical math textbooks, and at least there they were usually explained in full. This book fails to reasonably portray the application of calculus to biology and medicine. There is plenty of material Neuhauser could have included to make his book exciting or relevant, yet he almost entirely neglected to.

3.) Explanations often skip vital steps, which are enough to confuse someone learning calculus. This textbook almost feels like it's intended as a refresher for someone who has already taken the course. But then, such a reader will likely find themselves irked by the book's errors.

[Saira · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made no sense. Even worse than chemistry.

[Imam Uzi]

good