Calculus Calculus: One and Several Variables by Salas, Etgen, Hille

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The discussion centers around the book "Calculus: One and Several Variables" by Saturnino L. Salas, Garret J. Etgen, and Einar Hille. It is noted for its progressive exercises that effectively teach section concepts, but criticized for its terse explanations that often rely on dense jargon, making it less accessible for students. The consensus suggests that while the book provides a decent treatment of multivariate concepts and proves many theorems, it falls short in clarity and depth, particularly for those pursuing advanced studies in theoretical physics, such as quantum field theory (QFT). Users recommend seeking additional resources beyond this text for a comprehensive understanding necessary for graduate-level research.

For those who have used this book


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This book is good in that the exercises clearly teach the section concepts in a progressive fashion. It is not so good in that the explanations of the material seem to aim to use as few words as possible, and rely on some VERY dense jargon to save paper.

A few extra words per sentence would make this a great book. It's a failing I find common to 90% of mathematics texts. Popular calc texts should be split into 3 separate volumes, IMO. The explanations need to be fleshed out and accessible and understandable to students - not just math professors.
 
salas and hille was a classic, o do not remember the other guy.
 
Book isn't bad but isn't great either. Seems to straddle an unfortunate line in level of material between something like Apostol or Spivak and Stewart. Much better IMO to just sit down and work through Spivak etc. But it has an okay treatment of multivariate concepts and actually proves most of the theorems.

Although, looking back on it, I am shocked to say they didn't introduce the least upper bound property of R until chapter 11. Which is terrible...
 
Hi micromass, I just want to ask if Calculus by Salas is enough for theoretical physics undergraduates? I am curious because I want to do research in QFT in grad school and I'm thinking if my investment for Salas is enough.
 
shinobi20 said:
Hi micromass, I just want to ask if Calculus by Salas is enough for theoretical physics undergraduates? I am curious because I want to do research in QFT in grad school and I'm thinking if my investment for Salas is enough.
Salas, Hille, Etgen's Calculus is okay but if you want to do QFT, you pretty much need to go beyond this text. I have used this book for my elementary calculus classes only.
 
For the following four books, has anyone used them in a course or for self study? Compiler Construction Principles and Practice 1st Edition by Kenneth C Louden Programming Languages Principles and Practices 3rd Edition by Kenneth C Louden, and Kenneth A Lambert Programming Languages 2nd Edition by Allen B Tucker, Robert E Noonan Concepts of Programming Languages 9th Edition by Robert W Sebesta If yes to either, can you share your opinions about your personal experience using them. I...
Hi, I have notice that Ashcroft, Mermin and Wei worked at a revised edition of the original solid state physics book (here). The book, however, seems to be never available. I have also read that the reason is related to some disputes related to copyright. Do you have any further information about it? Did you have the opportunity to get your hands on this revised edition? I am really curious about it, also considering that I am planning to buy the book in the near future... Thanks!

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