Venturing into calculus - basic book required ;

[dreamLord]

Hey.

So I've decided to teach myself calculus. I bought 'Calculus Made Easy' by Sylvanus Thompson, and finished it recently, and must say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So now I need a book that is at the next level. I have a problem with long texts - anything longer than 200-300 pages and my enthusiasm drops off slowly. Also, I'm doing Calculus purely because of Physics, so I doubt I require THAT much rigour.

I found Calculus Made Easy pretty easy on the whole, but some questions tough. So I need a really easy text to progress. Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[mathwonk]

elliot gootman has a nice one. but if you finished calculus made easy you may be ready for a more difficult one than you think. you might try one of thomas' books or one of thomas and finney, or edwards and penney, or cruse and granberg.

 

[dreamLord]

Elliot Gootman isn't available at the bookstore I normally order from =/

As I said, I didn't finish CME with a breeze, I had a decent amount of stoppages during question solving. Still, can you recommend me something specific from those authors ? Shortest and easiest is what I need. I don't have much time to delve into the details as I need to concentrate on my Physics. Thanks !

 

[oddball_matt]

Thomas' Calculus is a brilliant book and I believe it's suitable for you. Plenty of questions and examples. From cover to cover, it's about a thousand pages - but it's mostly questions and examples.
If you want something shorter, try Understanding Calculus Concepts by Eli Passow - part of the Schaum's Outline series. Less than 300 pages. Short texts and many worked examples.
But I believe you should try Thomas' Calculus. You can easily get the book and its solution manual online.

 

[rezeew]

Hello there!

Congratulations on taking the initiative to teach yourself calculus! It's a challenging subject, but with dedication and the right resources, you can definitely master it.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed 'Calculus Made Easy' by Sylvanus Thompson. It's a great book for beginners and provides a solid foundation for further learning. As for your next step, I would recommend 'Calculus: Early Transcendentals' by James Stewart. This book is often used as a textbook for introductory calculus courses and covers the fundamentals in a clear and concise manner. It's also not too long, with around 1300 pages, and has plenty of examples and practice problems to help reinforce your understanding.

If you find that book to be too challenging, another option could be 'Calculus Essentials' by Ron Larson and Bruce Edwards. This book is designed for students who need a streamlined approach to calculus and may be more suitable for your needs. It covers the essential topics in around 600 pages and has a focus on real-world applications, which may interest you since you mentioned you're learning calculus for physics.

Ultimately, the best way to choose a calculus book is to browse through a few options and see which one resonates with your learning style. You can also check out reviews and ratings online to get an idea of which books are highly recommended by others. Good luck with your studies!