Calculus for Dummies [with Calculus Workbook for Dummies]

by Mark Ryan

*Bundle

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 the 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 trigonometry. 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 calculusThe two big ideas of calculus: differentiation and integrationWhy calculus worksPre-algebra and algebra reviewCommon functions and their graphsLimits and continuityIntegration and approximating areaSequences and series

Don't buy the misconception. Sure, calculus is difficult - but it's manageable and doable. You made it through algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Well, calculus just picks up where they left off - it's simply the next step in a logical progression. Add "Calculus Workbook For Dummies" into the equation, and you're sure to be understanding calculus quicker and sooner than you ever thought possible. Help is here again with 275 pages of equations and answers, with ample room for you to work out the problems. Not sure where you went wrong (or right)? The answer section explains everything.

AUTHOR BIO: Mark Ryan has taught algebra through calculus since 1989. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Genres: Mathematics, Reference, Science, Nonfiction, School, Calculus, Education

Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so, secret exposing time.

I flunked Calculus. Twice.

Once in High School, once in college.

I went to study groups, math labs, one-on-one tutoring and never could understand the basics.

Discouraged, I stopped trying to get it, figuring the brain, she works for programming and logic, but not for the math.

Fast forward a number of years. I get it in my head that I really should try to learn it again. I go to the library and check out the book.

And the book is so well written that I understand the math. It all makes sense. Limits, derivatives, integrals, it all fits together and makes sense.

So there you have it, this dummy learned Calculus from the book and so it gets my recommendation.

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

This is my first brush with calculus and I found it fascinating, enthralling and amazing. I highly recommend this made easy to understand book!

[John Maynard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could use more exercises, can I do the work at the end of it explanations, sure I can do the work, I think , but I really could use exercise. I appreciate the humor in which the book presents it's material, but the fact is, if you use this book to learn Calculus, you should probably find a work book as well, this book , as it turns out is not meant as anything but an aid to a class and text, get a workbook, or you are just kidding yourself.

[Al Capwned · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading that book I was pleasantly surprised by its simplicity and funny style but as I was reading further, that same style felt a bit tiring.

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never ever thought that a math textbook could be this funny and entertaining to read

[Garth Mailman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to decide that this Dummy is never learning Calculus. Had I the need and inclination I’d need to go back for the prerequisite Pre-Calculus. Back in the 60ies I enjoyed the logic of geometry and algebra more than advanced Mathematics and arithmetic which most today perform on calculators or computers. But when I hit grade 11 physics and chemistry which involved something called the New Math I decided our teachers didn’t have a clue how to explain it. When it came to imaginary numbers involving electrical theory I gave up the ghost. I once knew the math behind calculating square roots and even cube roots. I have some understanding of exponents, quadratic equations, theorems, expressions, absolute numbers, logarithms. trigonometry but I seem to have lost the ability to put it all together and definitely lack the motivation.

I understand that the metric system utilizes base ten and the English system I grew up with uses base 12 for distance base 8 or ten for volume, base 12 for time and base 32 for heat. Celsius degrees lack meaning to me. I know that 90º F is a hot day, 30º C lacks meaning. I get smug satisfaction from the fact that the best minds in the world messed up the building of the Hubble Telescope and that rockets have missed their targets because of miscalculations. I can understand the need for calculus in astronomical science when dealing with ships traveling thousands of miles per hour that have to deal with gravity from the sun and planets and planets traveling in elliptical orbits at incredible speeds. The concept that time ceases to exist at light speed borders on philosophy. Remember the Concord reached NYC before it left Paris.

But I’m going to have to leave it all to younger minds and Good Will Hunting.

[Tom Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy explanations about complex techniques.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mary Ryan's explanations of the complex topics and techniques used in Calculus. He covers the topics in a way that I could follow without having to spend a lot of time going through it over and over again. Highly recommend this book.

[Rick Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Don't skip Math"

Math is necessary for modern world.
Many modern products require understanding of Math.
Calculus is foundation for Engineering.

In Tamil Nadu,
If only my middle-school or high-school teachers explained to me.
Explained how important mathematics was for my life.
All they cared was, marks, which tied into identity of a student.
Marks then transitions into, Salary in Adulthood.
Does our identity or purpose comes from this?
Answer for yourself.

Sadly, I was not good in mathematics.
My teachers started to say, "Oh, him, he is not good in math"
Look at his score-card. I started to believe this, because of this, I fled from mathematics.

Sadly, this is not true, many students fall into this.
Don't believe what your teachers or others say to you.

Once, I started to read seriously, there came a time, I needed Calculus again.
In this case, all my fears of teachers came alive to me.

"Will I flunk out?"
"Will I survive?"

I grasped one objective truth about myself, which I knew.

I loved reading
Due to curiosity, I was able to go through Philosophy books
I had finished Immanuel Kant's Critique of Reason
And then, I asked, if I was able to go through Kant, why not Calculus?

And then, I was able to challenge earlier beliefs from Middle-School.
All the fears, Why?

I started from fundamentals in Mathematics.
My understanding increased slowly.
I asked in each definition, "Why care, Where will I use this?"
I no longer feared formulas, math symbols.

To the Students, Professionals.
Start slow, read formal definitions, ask questions.
Be disciplined, and you'll be able to grasp understanding.

Cheers

[Hugo Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a high school calculus teacher one of our challenges is to teach without making one of the hardest subjects become boring to the students, I tried so many books but I remembered I used Dummies series for a lot of subjects and actually learned them so I tried the calculus one and it made classes go smoother than ever, this is a great way to teach to the new generations and try to get them at least interesting in the uses of Calculus and stop being afraid of learning it.

I’ll just give a 4 stars review cause I’d like that it had way more examples, I know there’s a book specifically for that, but it kinda ruins the flow in which subjects are advancing.

[Mark Kloha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not very good. Covers too much information way too quickly. No substitute for an actual calculus class. The explanations are incredibly convoluted for a “dummies” book. I’ve seen college calculus text books that are easier to follow than this. The explanations and examples jump around from over simplified to super complicated.

[Daniel Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed this book from the library and it's a helpful book for me to revise my calculus, definitions, theorems and all. It doesn't have everything I hoped it would have in a book about calculus but it's good in setting the core principles.

[Dylan Wedel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This helped me ace my AP calculus course with incredible ease. Use this while doing practice problems after lectures and you will be set to pass your course (although there is no epsilon-delta definition of a limit, among other things).

[malik Jabari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes math fun again!

I love the way the author breaks down these complex mathematical jargons into concepts I can easily understand. I definitely recommend it. I’m reading this book as a primer for my upcoming calculus course this semester.

[Hatten Caine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book. It was very convoluted and hard to understand. I wanted to get a Calculus refresher, but it didn't fill my desires. It tried to do too many different things and was unsuccessful at any of them.

[Maeve Sleibhin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, intuitive, and interested

When my kid started her calculus course I realised I had forgotten too much to even be sympathetic, let alone help her, when she was wrestling with an assignment. This did the trick, and I also got her a copy. Fun and interesting.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of the only genuinely amusing and surprisingly didactic editions in the Dummies catalog. It’s calculus content is on par with James Stewart’s Calculus textbooks and I LOL’d while reading several times.

[Arun · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Worked out 90% of differentiation chapters. Planning to revisit rest of the chapters (Integration and Series) later.)

Not bad if you are already well versed with Calculus I and needed a refresher, but it could do less with so called humor which got more and more childish and acerbic!

[William Cruise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has three things going for it:
1. It's a good refresher that covers a lot of ground in a few hundred pages.
2. People on the train can't tell if you're smart for reading a calculus book, or dumb for reading a "For Dummies" book.
3. It's much lighter than Spivak's Calculus.

[Mark LaCour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good supplement to other sources (e.g., khan academy).

[Zach Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I OWE MY PASSING GRADE IN CIS CALCULUS TO THIS WONDERFUL BOOK

[Julian Jawad Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much helpful in case of understanding with a real-life example, easy to connect with. Anyone can understand the basic concept of the calculus reading this one.

[Imp · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was moderately useful in catching me up in calculus back in my college days.

[Bryan henne]

Intuitive

More than enough information to learn calculus for the first time, it covers a lot of material. (Student verified approved)

[Dennis Woofter · Rating 2 out of 5]

There must be some level below "dummies".

[yuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

the jokes can get somewhat repetitive. still going to fail this ap exam

[sbs transit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unironically a great introduction to calculus in retrospect. Glad I read it

[Arabella · Rating 1 out of 5]

did not help me in my math exam

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful refresher for my classes

[Müjdeci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for beginners.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't done any math since high school & forgot an awful lot of it, but I thought I'd give this book a shot and see how much I could get out of it. A lot sounded at least vaguely familiar, and I was able to follow along with a lot of it.

Biggest takeaway (and this one isn't that shocking of one): This book is a lesson on why math classes assign so many problems for students to do as homework. Just reading the concepts and examples helps introduce it, but since there are no problems to do in the book, I generally forgot what I read in one chapter as I went over the next. And, by the time I got to the last section, that meant my understanding of what I was reading was getting hazier, so I ended up just skimming the last chapters, getting virtually nothing out of them.

This probably works better if you have a workbook to go with it. Or it might work better if you are already familiar with the material (but in that case, why are you reading a "For Dummies" book on it?