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Rating: Summary: Great Book Review: Before I had this book I knew nothing about tensors. Other books were old and useless. This book was very easy to understand and explained everything I needed to know. Now I work with tensors in General Relativity all the time!
Rating: Summary: disappointing Review: I am surprised by the high marks given by other reviewers. The book has no insight, depth, or explanation about what tensor calculus is. It is merely a cookbook for doing some manipulations with summations over more than one index. You cannot learn tensor calculus from this shallow excuse for a book. If you want to learn tensor calculus and other advanced mathematics for physicists, pick up "Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Mechanics," by Byron and Fuller; it is the best math methods book I have ever used.
Rating: Summary: A must-have Review: So far, I've covered the first 5 chapters. Very easy to understand, and plenty of example problems. What more could you ask for?
Rating: Summary: Disappointed. Review: This book is substandard for the Schaum's Outline Series. The descriptions for the techniques are much too brief, and as a result, it's hard to follow what's going on. The summaries are so thin that it's even difficult to learn how to do the mechanics of tensor operations, a real deficit for an outline book! I have a pretty good background in advanced math, but I don't think I could learn tensor analysis from this book. I was especially disappointed because I have had good luck with other books in the Schaum's series. I'm planning on looking for a more traditional book with more discussion and background of the different techniques.
Rating: Summary: As an Outline... Review: This is not a book to learn tensor calculus from. It is an outline only, no greath depth or insight is presented. This book works perfectly as a supplement to a course in tensor calculus, or as a quick reference for the various techniques and concepts involved, provided one is already somewhat familiar with the material. It would be possible to learn the basics of tensor calculus from this book with some effort, and reflection on the implications of the concepts dealt with, however as a complete course in the subject it is insufficient, and I believe intentionally so. The more modern aspects of tensor analysis on manifolds are largely ignored in this treatment, but also intentionally so, an approach which I found useful practically. The book does not aim to be an all-inclusive course in the applications of tensor concepts to all areas of mathmatics, but rather a quick-reference guide supplementing more complete treatments, and as such, is largely successful.
Rating: Summary: Best Place To Start Review: This is probably the clearest ontoduction to tensor analysis that is currently on the market. It makes a quite difficult and messy subject seem pretty straightforward. It's best to know your vector calc in and out before attempting this book, but it's a godsend compared to some of the other texts out on the market today. A great guide for engineering and physics students and the price can't be beat.
Rating: Summary: As an Outline... Review: This Study Guide functions properly. If right now, you are reading the title "Tensor Calculus" and wish you understood it someday. But have absolutely no idea what a tesnor of rank zero is. GET THIS BOOK My main goal was to understand General Relativity. But as you know, the mathematics of General Relativity is nothing but Tensor Calculus. I was particularly intrigued by the mysteries of the Riemann Curvature Tensor. The key to General Relativity. As soon as I purchased this book, I started studying Chapter 8, the "Riemannian Curvature" not knowing anything about the previous chapters. Hopeless I eventually turned to chapter 1 and gradually climed up the ladder. Then came my Golden Times in Tensor Calculus. I cracked the mysteries of the Riemann Curvature Tensor and at last I turned to General Relativity. I'm currently studying black holes thanks to this book.
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