Best Calculus Books | Find Your Favorite Today

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for calculus books, with participants sharing their favorites and experiences. The scope includes personal preferences, strengths and weaknesses of various texts, and the suitability of books for different audiences, including students and those pursuing higher mathematics or physical sciences.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to improve their calculus skills and seeks recommendations for favorite calculus books.
  • Another participant lists three commonly recommended calculus books: "Calculus" by M. Spivak, "Calculus" by J. Stewart (7th ed.), and "Calculus, Vol. I" by T. Apostol, noting that each has different strengths and weaknesses.
  • The same participant mentions that Stewart's book is popular in AP courses, Spivak's book is readable but has challenging problems, and Apostol's book is unconventional and aimed at future mathematicians.
  • The participant also references a freely available text by Gilbert Strang, suggesting it may be suitable for those studying higher math or physical sciences.
  • There is a light-hearted exchange about language learning, specifically Latin, which is not directly related to the calculus book recommendations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants have not reached a consensus on which calculus book is the best, as different views on the strengths and weaknesses of the recommended texts remain. The discussion includes a variety of opinions and experiences without a definitive conclusion.

Contextual Notes

Participants express personal preferences and experiences with calculus books, but the discussion does not delve into specific content or methodologies of the texts mentioned. The suitability of each book may depend on individual learning styles and goals.

Farmtalk
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Hi everyone! I'm wanting to polish my calculus skills a bit so that I can help people here on the site more :cool:. I own a couple of books on calculus as it is, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what their favorite books on the subject were so that I could have a search of it online :)

Thanks everyone!
 
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Farmtalk said:
Hi everyone! I'm wanting to polish my calculus skills a bit so that I can help people here on the site more :cool:. I own a couple of books on calculus as it is, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what their favorite books on the subject were so that I could have a search of it online :)

Thanks everyone!

View attachment 2832Kind regards

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Farmtalk said:
In English? :cool:

As my old physics professor used to say, with feigned disbelief:

"You weren't required to learn Latin in high school?!?"

:D
 
The school systems around here don't offer Latin, it's all about being able to say "yo hablo Español" and know what it means ;)
 
The last time I tried that, I apparently greeted my Latin American friend with the equivalent of:

"I/we are poblano peppers".

***********

The three calculus books I see most recommended are:

Calculus, M. Spivak

Calculus, J. Stewart (7th ed.)

Calculus, Vol. I, T. Apostol

There is also a text freely available online, by Gilbert Strang (you may have to go to his web-site, or the MIT open courseware site, to find it).

I cannot say which one is "best", as they have different strengths and weaknesses, which may fit better with different people. This is what I can say:

Stewart seems to be very popular as a text-book, particularly in Calculus AP courses. Spivak is very readable, but the problems are at times quite hard. Apostol's book is a bit unorthodox in the order of presentation, and geared towards the eventual professional mathematician (i.e., math majors). I've only glanced at Strang's book...it's rather large, with a lot of examples, and seems to me geared to someone who might either go on to study higher math, OR continue in the physical sciences.

There are, however, a LOT of calculus books out there (I believe there's even a "Calculus For Dummies" book).
 

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