Is Spivak's Calculus Book Too Difficult for an Average Person to Understand?

[madah12]

I can't understand this book!

I have this book calculus fourth edition by spivak but it is too hard for me to comprehend ( yes I am admitting that) i searched the net and other people found it hard too, is there any resource materials that people who took this book think I should get to understand it better? should I wait for after graduate studies for it? or is it a book that requires high iq that an average person like me will have trouble understanding?

 

[NetMage]

Math is a language you are going to have to learn in order to succeed in it. More than just letters, numbers, and symbols...mathematics is a world of logic. Calculus is pretty simple, but you have to understand conceptually what is happening in every problem you do. This will separate the good math students from the rest. As far as understanding the material, you may have to relate back to algebra and gain a truly better understanding of mathematics. Take simple steps in math and make sure you understand it logically. Review your algebra and trig, make sure you understand it and what it represents. I think calculus will look much less complex after doing this. It is about teaching yourself *how to think* rather than really the material itself.

 

[mathwonk]

that book treats calculus at the highest level of sophistication, roughly comparable to the analysis courses most majors take as seniors, after completing three or four calculus courses.

there is no need at all to begin there. In general never use a book you cannot read. Any other calculus book almost, will be easier to understand than that one. Try calcuus made easy by silvanus p thompson.

or lectures on freshman calculus by cruse and granberg.

or just browse in the math library.

but really, calculus is never actually easy.