MHB Book recommendations for self studying calculus.

[kanderson]

I can do calculus on a normal level from high school now but I would like to further myself. I was recommended Michael Spivak 4th Edition...Tom Apostol 1st and 2nd edition...Walter Rudin Mathematical Analysis 3rd Edition...Richard Courant 1 and 2 calculus/analysis introduction.

 

[Fantini]

Those are the best recommendations, in my opinion. If you do Spivak/Apostol/Courant well then you can pass on to Rudin. Starting with it won't teach you calculus and you have a good chance of enduring a major hard time. The purpose of mathematical analysis is to give a rigorous foundations for calculus and be one of the first courses to keep you accostumed to the mathematics you'll face from thereby on, so you will be skipping all the computational parts, physical interpretations, etc.

Of course, I'm assuming an average level calculus, but since I have no idea how far you went you may as well try reading Rudin a bit and see if you can handle.

 

[kanderson]

Thank you fantini. Could you describe average calculus or what I should have to know before I try apostol?

 

[Fantini]

Good questions are how comfortable are you with proofs, can you follow most, possibly all, of them? Technically you don't need to know calculus before you try apostol, but most people agree that a first exposure softens a great deal the pain.

 

[kanderson]

Thank you fantini...I will start learning proofs from a How to Prove it Structured approach by Daniel J Velleman

 

[Fantini]

Another excellent recommendation about that is the classic "How to Solve it", by George Polya. It's fabulous, I'd say read them both at the same time.

 

[kanderson]

I have that one somewhere, I shall go find it :D Thank you for reminding me I had that book.