I am a doctor of medicinei want to learn calculus for the fun of

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    Calculus Doctor Fun
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a medical doctor seeking resources to learn calculus for personal enjoyment, reflecting on past challenges with the subject. Participants provide various recommendations for books and online resources, addressing different levels of mathematical rigor and approaches to learning calculus.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to learn calculus after finding it challenging in school two decades ago and seeks guidance on where to start.
  • Another participant recommends Khan Academy as a suitable online resource for learning calculus outside of a traditional classroom setting.
  • A suggestion is made for "Calculus Made Easy" by Silvanus Thompson, noted for its intuitive approach despite being an older text.
  • Participants discuss the choice between mathematically rigorous texts and more accessible, fun calculus books, mentioning titles such as Spivak's Calculus and Courant and John's Introduction to Calculus and Analysis for rigorous study, and Morris Kline's Calculus for a less formal approach.
  • One participant highlights the historical perspective offered by W. M. Priestly's "Calculus: An Historical Approach" as a potentially interesting resource, noting its availability on Amazon.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present a variety of recommendations and perspectives on learning calculus, with no consensus on a single best approach or resource. Multiple competing views on the level of rigor and type of material preferred remain evident.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention different levels of mathematical rigor and personal preferences for learning styles, indicating that the choice of resources may depend on individual backgrounds and goals. There is no resolution on which specific resource is the best fit for the original poster.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in self-studying calculus, particularly those with a background in medicine or other fields seeking a more enjoyable approach to mathematics.

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i am a doctor of medicine . i want to learn calculus for the fun of it. it eluded me while in school 20 yrs ago. i want to know from where and how.
 
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Go to www.khanacademy.org. It's a great place to learn calculus, especially if it isn't from a class.

After that, well, I'm still exploring that.
 


I suggest Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus Thompson. It's about a hundred years old, but in my opinion it is the most intuitive and lively intro to calculus ever written.
 


It depends what you want really. Do you want a mathematically rigorous text, or just a fun calculus book that's not so serious mathematically?

If you want a book that is mathematically rigorous then there is Spivak's Calculus, and also Courant and John's Introduction to Calculus and Analysis. However, if you're not familiar with proofs or maybe you feel your mathematics is a bit rusty then you may find these books a bit much. On the other hand, you are a doctor so they probably shouldn't be beyond your reach. Spivak is more rigorous and challenging, Courant and John's exposition is more gentle and contains applications to physics which you might enjoy. Both books are great fun.

If you don't want a rigorous book then I recommend Morris Kline's Calculus, which has the advantage of being cheap (but is a very good quality book. In general the price of a book has little to do with its quality.)

All the above books cover single-variable calculus, which is usually covered in one year.
Also check out the https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21" section. You can search the forum for old threads on a similar topic, which you may find helpful.
 
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There is a delightful book by W. M. Priestly "Calculus: An Historical Approach" published by Springer-Verlag ISBN 0-387-90349-6.

The copyright is 1979 and I don't know if it is out of print or hard to get. It might be just what you are looking for if you can find one.

Edit: I just checked and it is available on Amazon.com
 

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