Calculus the Easy Way (Calculus the Easy Way)

Rating:
Summary: I understand it and I'm fourteen!
Review: (Disclaimer) Supposedly this covers first-year calculus. I don't know, I'm a freshman in high school.

With that being said, this is a great book. The story begins in the magical land of Camorra, where several strong personalites are scratching their heads over a calculus problem they must solve. They eventually discover the solution, supplying the reader with a good, easy-to understand explonation, and eventually discover a whole bunch of other stuff. I'm a freshman and I understood most of it (still scratching my head about the connection between areas and integrals, though.)

The book has its shortcomings, e.g. its being a bit ambiguious sometimes, but it's much better than a textbook. If a fourteen-year-old can get it, you should be able to too!

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: ...I had taken two years of calculus about 15 years before I decided I wanted to know again what I had once known. My old calculus text book looked threatening so I went to a local bookstore to see what was available. To my surprise, I found "Calculus The Easy Way" by Downing. It was in story book form, with cartoons, and humor. Unlike many texts, before it explains a mathematical concept, it relates a practical need for it. "Calculus The Easy Way" hits the concepts lightly, while managing to be the most user friendly book on calculus that I have ever seen. However, I did not care for the section on volumes of revolution, or what little was included on related rates. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Outline Series "Calculus" does a much better job in these areas. But I was able to go to the latter due to having read the former. After perusing these two inexpensive paperbacks, hardcover calculus texts no longer appeared ferocious.
In "Calculus The Easy Way," you won't get much depth. I doubt that depth is one of the intended functions of the book. It may better be described as a tool by which to access the subject with the least amount of pain, and the greatest amount of pleasure. It helps you make a beachhead. If you want more, there are other books that will take you inland. As an additional resource, which is packed with examples, including detailed solutions, you might want REA's "Calculus Problem Solvers." Try not to be the captive of any one book because another book may explain a particular concept in a way that speaks more clearly to you. A used bookstore is an affordable source of many different treatments.
I once wrote to Professor Downing pleading that he write a second, more advanced calculus book, and use his considerable talent to render other esoteric subjects understandable. I don't recall having received a reply. But if you are seeing calculus for the first time, or if you want to review, you could hardly make a better, more enjoyable choice.

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to a somewhat daunting subject
Review: After my freshmen year of college, I decided to switch majors from English to Biology. Since my Biology major required that I take two basic Calculus classes, I was a little afraid of what I was getting into. I high school I never considered myself very good at math. I admit that I never tried too hard at the subject; I just did as much work to get by, and didn't really worry about understanding the concepts much. I never even got up to Calculus in high school. I did actually learned quite a lot about mathematics from a college algebra course, but the course was somewhat difficult for me, and it was just algebra!

I pick Calculus the Easy Way up in the summer after my freshmen year in order to get some practice of a subject that I knew nothing about. At first I was suprized that a math book was written in the frame work of a fantasy novel, but eventually the idea grew on me. It was interesting that it was possible to "intergrate" a story into lessons in Calculus. The characters and story lines were fun and the explanations about the fundamentals of Calculus were pretty easy to understand, although I have to admit that it would have helped if they had been more straightforward at times. The problems at the end of the chapters helped me quite a bit, but I did agree with other reviewers who believe there could have been more of them.

Overall, I think that Calculus the easy is a good introduction for those unfamilar with calculus. It may not have all of the topics disscussed in more advanced calculus classes, but it has all of the core material and does provide introductions to differential equations and partial differentiation, so it does cover a broad range. Of course, it is just a learning aid because there is no substitute for an actual textbook and high school or college course. Plus, tt only costs about 10% of what a text book would, so I believe that it is well worth the money. The book certainly helped me. When I actually took Calculus, I had already preview almost all of the course topics, and I did really well (I got an A+)!

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to a somewhat daunting subject
Review: After my freshmen year of college, I decided to switch majors from English to Biology. Since my Biology major required that I take two basic Calculus classes, I was a little afraid of what I was getting into. I high school I never considered myself very good at math. I admit that I never tried too hard at the subject; I just did as much work to get by, and didn't really worry about understanding the concepts much. I never even got up to Calculus in high school. I did actually learned quite a lot about mathematics from a college algebra course, but the course was somewhat difficult for me, and it was just algebra!

I pick Calculus the Easy Way up in the summer after my freshmen year in order to get some practice of a subject that I knew nothing about. At first I was suprized that a math book was written in the frame work of a fantasy novel, but eventually the idea grew on me. It was interesting that it was possible to "intergrate" a story into lessons in Calculus. The characters and story lines were fun and the explanations about the fundamentals of Calculus were pretty easy to understand, although I have to admit that it would have helped if they had been more straightforward at times. The problems at the end of the chapters helped me quite a bit, but I did agree with other reviewers who believe there could have been more of them.

Overall, I think that Calculus the easy is a good introduction for those unfamilar with calculus. It may not have all of the topics disscussed in more advanced calculus classes, but it has all of the core material and does provide introductions to differential equations and partial differentiation, so it does cover a broad range. Of course, it is just a learning aid because there is no substitute for an actual textbook and high school or college course. Plus, tt only costs about 10% of what a text book would, so I believe that it is well worth the money. The book certainly helped me. When I actually took Calculus, I had already preview almost all of the course topics, and I did really well (I got an A+)!

Rating:
Summary: doesn't feel patronizing to me
Review: I could not get past the first few pages of the book. The "science fiction/fantasy" story was not only unnecesary but embarassing to read. It is all well and good to simplify what can be a very difficult subject, but to treat the reader as if he is a four year old child is too much. Perhaps this book is well-suited to younger people, but I would not recommend it to adults- or even to more mature highschool students. It really is a pity, many of the books in the "the easy way" series are quite excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I read this book thirteen years ago, over the course of three or four days when I really had nothing better to do. I was highly impressed with it. It covers basic Newtonian Calculus quite thoroughly in the form of a fantasy story, which causes the reader to learn without quite realizing it. It is not a substitute for coursework, since things are, sadly, left out to make it more palettable for most readers. If I didn't no better, I would say Piers Anthony and Heinlein collaborated on this one. I have been recommending this book for precocious youngsters.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps a bit childish, but it does simplify the subject
Review: It sometimes reads like it's written for 7th graders, but explaining calculus within a fairy tale does have advantages. What other calculus book would you read in the bathroom? I've found it helpful, but wouldn't recommend it as your only supplementary text. Buy it, by all means, but also get the meatier Schaum's outlines or REA's Calculus problem solver

Rating:
Summary: Why mix calculus with second grade fairy tales????
Review: Someone at Barron's fell for the concept that inserting a childish fairy tale into a calculus book was a good idea. It's not! Not for students of ANY age. It makes the book horribly painful to wade through, and divides the reader's attention, just when focus is needed most. Maybe if some precocious six-year-old needs a calculus book this will do, but I'm doubtful. Don't buy this or the analogous Barron's trigonometry book which suffers from the same problem. But DO buy the Barron's Statistics The Easy Way, which I gave 5 stars to. It has none of the senseless crud, and except for some typos and errata, is one of the best layman's probability book out there. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Calculus is pretty good, maintaining a relaxed pace but avoiding fluff.

Rating:
Summary: doesn't feel patronizing to me
Review: This book isn't really for people who hate math. Nor is it for people who are already advanced and have a 'math brain' -- such people probably will find it rather patronizing, as they have no need for this book. It's for people who are definitely interested in math and would like to learn it, but need to learn it in an interesting and interactive way. While you read, you feel like you're figuring things out with the characters in the book. You aren't just told what the answers are -- you are developing the answers and understanding what they mean much more than you would from some old textbook.