Is this a good calculus text?

1. Jun 7, 2007

Oomair

has anybody used James Stewart 5th edition calculus text? is it any good

2. Jun 7, 2007

kdinser

I liked it, but I'm not a math major. Lets just say, I learned enough about calculus from it to well in my engineering classes so far.

3. Jun 7, 2007

dtl42

I know this book is used to teach undergrad. calc I at Columbia, and UC Berkeley for a few teachers, and I recently aquired it and will admit, it's a darn good book. Very straightforward and understandable.

4. Jun 7, 2007

arunma

I was a math major in college, and I would say that James Stewart is an excellent calculus book. The explanations are quite helpful, there are sufficiently many examples, and most importantly (to a physicist, anyway), there are plenty of pictures and other diagrams to illustrate calculus concepts.

Is Stewart good for someone majoring in math? Well, it focuses on concept rather than rigor, but I think this is a good thing, since math majors typically have a separate course to teach them how to do rigorous proofs. At such a basic level as calculus, rigor tends to obscure other important ideas, so I think this book is good for math majors and anyone else.

5. Jun 7, 2007

bob1182006

I used this book to teach myself Calc I and a little bit of Calc II.
But I'm currently in Calc II and I will admit I'm learning alot of useful things that aren't taught in this book.

Like my teacher has spent a few days discussing some of the most common types of Integrals that are solved by Integration by Parts, which u/v to choose, etc..

But this book is verry good, if you can also get the solution manual, I found it really helpful in understanding alot of problems that weren't covered in the text.

6. Jun 7, 2007

mathwonk

i liked stewarts 2nd edition best. after that he began to remove theory and generally water it down.

7. Jun 7, 2007

G01

I liked it alot when I used it for the my calculus sequence. I think its great for scientists and engineers, and not bad for math majors, since, as a previous poster pointed out, math majors usually (at least the ones at my university) have a separate course for proofs and rigor.

8. Jun 7, 2007

mathwonk

Calculus (ISBN: 053413212X)
Stewart, James
Bookseller: Mary Jane Books
(Albany, NY, U.S.A.) Price: US$5.00 [Convert Currency] Quantity: 1 Shipping within U.S.A.: US$ 4.00
[Rates & Speeds]
Book Description: Brooks/Cole Pub Co, Florence, Kentucky, U.S.A., 1991. Hard Cover. Book Condition: Great. 2nd Edition. Great condition, no writing or highlighting. Bookseller Inventory # B005846

Calculus: Second Edition
Stewart, James
Bookseller: Book Baron Anaheim
(Anaheim, CA, U.S.A.) Price: US$17.50 [Convert Currency] Quantity: 1 Shipping within U.S.A.: US$ 4.50
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Book Description: Brooks/Cole Publishing (1991), Pacific Grove, 1991. Book Condition: Good. 2nd Edition. Hardcover No DJ- glossy pictorial boards. Rubbing & chipping to board edges & corner tips. Minor reader's crease. Bookseller Inventory # 380509

Calculus: Early Transcendentials
James Stewart
Bookseller: Lost Books
(Little Elm, TX, U.S.A.) Price: US$21.61 [Convert Currency] Quantity: 1 Shipping within U.S.A.: US$ 4.00
[Rates & Speeds]
Book Description: Brooks/Cole Pub Co., 1991. Mass Market Paperback. Book Condition: good. 2nd (July 1991) edition. 0534138306. Bookseller Inventory # 053249

it should have a violin or cello on the front cover.