Product Description

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:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7980 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Back Cover
Features the rules, definitions, and formulas you need to know

Conquer your fear of calculus the fun and easy way®!

Confused by the complexities of calculus? This easy-to-understand guide takes the mystery out of key calculus concepts such as limits, differentiation, and integration. You’ll ease into the basics with clear explanations, clever shortcuts, and real-life examples to help you – and you’ll discover that calculus isn’t so tough after all.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author
Mark Ryan has taught pre-math through calculus for more than a decade. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Customer Reviews

Excellent calculus companion for high school and college
In the tradition of the "For Dummies" series, "Calculus For Dummies" offers its readers with the advantage of clearly understanding critical ideas in calculus.

The book starts off with a refresher for algebra and such and then eliminates any fears of limits the reader might have. The fundamental idea of a limit (without the advanced delta-epsilon notation) allows the reader to thoroughly understand the backbone of calculus.

Differentiation is treated in detail with examples in power rule, chain rule, quotient rule, and applications (which the reader will have absolutely NO problem with after reading this book).

The concept of integration is explained so that the reader may see the fundamental principles of infinite summation of rectangles of miniature area. "Calculus For Dummies" has a strong presentation of integration techniques (especially integration by parts and the LIATE method pneumonic device) as well as trigonometric, volume and surface area, substitution, and indefinite integration.

Lastly, "Calc for Dummies" concludes with a discussion of infinite series. The book explains each of the 10 methods covered and also offers tips as to which method to use for a specific occasion.

All in all, a tremendously well-written book for those taking Calculus for the first time, those who need a companion for their current calc class, as well as those wishing for a refresher. "Calculus For Dummies" is very readable and allows the reader to understand the beautiful language of calculus without the rigors of proofs most calc textbooks have.

Refreshing Approach to the Fundamentals of Calculus
I have been using "Calculus for Dummies" to review my Calc I and Calc II basics. I am surprised and pleased with how well Ryan's descriptions and explanations have allowed me to better understand the underlying principles in Calculus. If you are serious about the groundwork and maintenance of your mathematical skills, you know that it is frequently beneficial to return to the basics for those fundamental concepts which can occassionally grow fuzzy with time. If you can find a text that treats the material in a new and entertaining way, the review can be enjoyable as well as instructive.

I highly recommend Ryan's book. He limits complexity (and warns you when he is doing so) to keep the material accessible. For the ultra rigorous analysis, there are many college texts available. But if you are new to Calculus, or looking for a different and refreshing approach to the basics, you will find "Calculus for Dummies" a wise investment. If you are taking Calculus in school and are having some problems understanding the material (and who hasn't?), this book will help you "decode" some of the more difficult concepts. I am sure that it is destined to become a valuable catalyst text on many a struggling math student's desktop.

Good book, but not for me.
If you're trying to pass a calculus course, this book is a really good buy because it lays everything out very clearly and the explanations are great. The author gives a clear understanding of why we need to use calculus. For me, a person who's just curious about calculus, this book could have been a lot better by being more in-depth and less "funny". This book gives a decent overview of calculus, but in the end I stopped reading it for two reasons:

First, the book is about one-third silly jokes. Normally, I like a book with a little clever humor, but this book went way too far. I really do want to learn, but it's very distracting when a series of graphs is labeled, "More graphs" (haha) and a paragraph on limits ends with something like, "This sentence is here because my English teacher said every paragraph should have at least two sentences." (haha) The issue was not so much the bad jokes as the distraction. It's annoying when you're trying to grasp a difficult idea and all of a sudden the sentence doesn't make sense because it's "funny."

Second, this book is more of a review for getting through a calculus course (study techniques and all) rather than an overview of calculus for real applications. I would have liked more thorough understanding of how the rules worked rather than mostly just explaining the rules.