Calculus

Rating:
Summary: Best Math Book I Ever Had
Review: This is the beginning of my third semester of calculus. I bought this book a year ago and used it for Calc 1 & 2. It is hands-down the best math book I have ever had. It is easy to read, had great graphics, and the student solution guide on the Internet is a life-saver.

Rating:
Summary: Well Conceived
Review: This text is the basis for a 3-semester course in Calculus I'm halfway through, and I've found it to be exemplary. Yes, the ink smudges a bit, but hell, if anyone sees it they'll think you're quite the diligent student, thumbing the calc book as most people would Time magazine or something. So much the better! Also, the binding (see below for critique) is in like-new condition, despite the fact that I ride a motorcycle, and carry the poor thing in a backpack 10 hours a day. (My back's never been stronger!) Finally, as an afterthought, content: Everything is laid out according to a logical progression that takes pains not to overwhelm, and instruction is offered both heuristically and theoretically, with samples reflecting (for the most part) what's to come in the exercises section that follows each chapter. A good prof. is still requisite, though. My only gripe is the problem solutions guide. Too few exercises even appear in this, and those that do are often the simpler ones I had no problem with! Also, the poor bastard that had to construct the thing understandably skips some steps here and there. But he was getting paid for his toil, and should've done it right! In fact, I came to this site looking for the instructor's version of the solutions guide, but can't find it. But I digress...I must return to my calculus before I find myself thinking lucidly again...

Rating:
Summary: Your Average Calculus Text, but not the best by far
Review: This year my school switched Calculus textbooks and used my class as the guinea pigs to test out this book. I did not care for it as much as the brand we had used in the past. My main complaint is about the explanations and example problems. I felt the explanations were frequently incomplete and after reading them over many times, it was still confusing as to how they got from point A to point B. I did not feel the sample problems were representative of the type of problems asked in the exercises for each section. On the otherhand, the problems were very wide-ranging which is nice considering many math textbooks just have the same problem over and over again but with different numbers. If you don't depend on the explanations too much and just need the book for the homework problems, this shouldn't be bad. And even if you do need the explanations and sample problems to help you, I did and I still maintained an A average in the course.