Choosing the Right Calculus Textbook for Students and Educators

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The discussion centers on the suitability of Stewart's calculus book as a first textbook for calculus. While some users find it adequate, others suggest there are superior options available that offer deeper explanations, more proofs, and practical applications, particularly in physics. Several alternative texts are recommended, including Comenetz's "Elements of Calculus," Spivak, Apostol, Courant, and others, each bringing unique perspectives and teaching styles. The conversation emphasizes that different books cater to varying educational goals and author expertise, highlighting the importance of selecting a text that aligns with the learner's needs.
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Is this book by Stewert good as a first calculus book?
 
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I had that book for AP Calc (AB) and it seemed ok. I bet there is a better book though.
 
stewart second edition is nice. what do you want from a book? there are many better books in the sense of deeper explanations, more proofs, more applications to physics, more explanation of how the ideas arise in the world.

i like comenetz' book elements of calculus, and spivak, and apostol, and courant, and cooke- finney- thomas 9th edition, edwards - penney first edition, kitchen, elliot gootman, sylvanus p. thompson for jokes, cruse and granberg, lang analysis I, langs calculus I.

different boks have different goals and different points of view, and are written by people with different skills and levels of understanding and research orientation or lack of it.
 
The book is fascinating. If your education includes a typical math degree curriculum, with Lebesgue integration, functional analysis, etc, it teaches QFT with only a passing acquaintance of ordinary QM you would get at HS. However, I would read Lenny Susskind's book on QM first. Purchased a copy straight away, but it will not arrive until the end of December; however, Scribd has a PDF I am now studying. The first part introduces distribution theory (and other related concepts), which...
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