James Stewart Calculus replacement

[bigmike94]

Summary: Need a multivariable calculus textbook

For calculus I’ve been using James Stewart textbook as a guide, I find it really hard to follow so I just checkout the chapter titles and then use online courses that explain the chapters, for example professor Leonard and Michel Van biezen lectures are brilliant.

But now I am on multivariable calculus I really feel like I should follow along with a textbook. I keep trying to go back to the James steward one but each time I try it ends in frustration.

Once I finish the video lecture by professor Leonard and a few others it becomes more bearable. Even if I don’t think the book has explained well I usually understand but only because I have watched videos explaining this to me.

Is there another book out there that takes a different approach and doesn’t omit many steps? I’ve almost always used videos to learn maths and so far I haven’t had any issues using the maths in my physics studies. But I am afraid that as I delve into more advance topics skipping reading the textbook might come back to bite me.

Has anyone else had the same issue and actually been fine with only using online sources and practise problems? I do actually see a lot of comments on YouTube from students who are in a similar situation and also rely on videos.

During calculus 2 I solely used online videos and I’m averaging a 90%+ on my university scores. So maybe I am answering my own question here. But I would still love an “easier” to read book to follow alone. Maybe a shuams outline book?

Feel free to share your experience

 

[hutchphd]

Can you only read one book at a time? So long as the book isn't junk it should do you no harm. And a published text is far less likely to be junk than an arbitrary video. As you undersrtand the material, a different approach should be edifying, not confusing. If the style does not suit, find another book. If you think the book may be junk ask here.
Personally I found Schaum's outlines a useful resource. I learned Calculus from Thomas and Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering: I.S. Sokolnikoff, R.M. Redheffer primarilly, but that was long long ago.
I think textbook(s) should be the primary part of your learning process.

.

​

 

[bigmike94]

Can you only read one book at a time? So long as the book isn't junk it should do you no harm. And a published text is far less likely to be junk than an arbitrary video. As you undersrtand the material, a different approach should be edifying, not confusing. If the style does not suit, find another book. If you think the book may be junk ask here.
Personally I found Schaum's outlines a useful resource. I learned Calculus from Thomas and Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering: I.S. Sokolnikoff, R.M. Redheffer primarilly, but that was long long ago.
I think textbook(s) should be the primary part of your learning process.

.

​

Thank you and yeah I agree, I think videos are excellent these days but it’s sticks more in your memory if you figure it out by reading the text. I’m just having a hard time parametrising equations in 3D and finding the parametric equations of intersections etc. i do not want to move on until I know what time doing. Maybe the best bet is to work through the problems and also worked solutions until I feel confident.

 

[hutchphd]

And I will bore you with my favorite aphorism "If you ain't confused, you ain't learning". Of course being confused is a stressful state and the trick is, in the immortal words of astronaut Wally Schirra, to always "maintain an even strain"

 

[bigmike94]

And I will bore you with my favorite aphorism "If you ain't confused, you ain't learning". Of course being confused is a stressful state and the trick is, in the immortal words of astronaut Wally Schirra, to always "maintain an even strain"

I appreciate the replies , how often in physics uses maths where we have to find the vector function of the curve of intersection of two surfaces?

 

[bigmike94]

Summary: Need a multivariable calculus textbook

For calculus I’ve been using James Stewart textbook as a guide, I find it really hard to follow so I just checkout the chapter titles and then use online courses that explain the chapters, for example professor Leonard and Michel Van biezen lectures are brilliant.

But now I am on multivariable calculus I really feel like I should follow along with a textbook. I keep trying to go back to the James steward one but each time I try it ends in frustration.

Once I finish the video lecture by professor Leonard and a few others it becomes more bearable. Even if I don’t think the book has explained well I usually understand but only because I have watched videos explaining this to me.

Is there another book out there that takes a different approach and doesn’t omit many steps? I’ve almost always used videos to learn maths and so far I haven’t had any issues using the maths in my physics studies. But I am afraid that as I delve into more advance topics skipping reading the textbook might come back to bite me.

Has anyone else had the same issue and actually been fine with only using online sources and practise problems? I do actually see a lot of comments on YouTube from students who are in a similar situation and also rely on videos.

During calculus 2 I solely used online videos and I’m averaging a 90%+ on my university scores. So maybe I am answering my own question here. But I would still love an “easier” to read book to follow alone. Maybe a shuams outline book?

Feel free to share your experience

Maybe I jumped the gun a little. The book isn’t the issue I just need to sit down and give it time. It was always going to be difficult starting the book over half way through as I am not used to the authors way of teaching and previous proofs etc. it’s obviously a good book and I’m going to finish it and attempt a lot of the problems.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

Summary: Need a multivariable calculus textbook

For calculus I’ve been using James Stewart textbook as a guide, I find it really hard to follow so I just checkout the chapter titles and then use online courses that explain the chapters, for example professor Leonard and Michel Van biezen lectures are brilliant.

But now I am on multivariable calculus I really feel like I should follow along with a textbook. I keep trying to go back to the James steward one but each time I try it ends in frustration.

Once I finish the video lecture by professor Leonard and a few others it becomes more bearable. Even if I don’t think the book has explained well I usually understand but only because I have watched videos explaining this to me.

Is there another book out there that takes a different approach and doesn’t omit many steps? I’ve almost always used videos to learn maths and so far I haven’t had any issues using the maths in my physics studies. But I am afraid that as I delve into more advance topics skipping reading the textbook might come back to bite me.

Has anyone else had the same issue and actually been fine with only using online sources and practise problems? I do actually see a lot of comments on YouTube from students who are in a similar situation and also rely on videos.

During calculus 2 I solely used online videos and I’m averaging a 90%+ on my university scores. So maybe I am answering my own question here. But I would still love an “easier” to read book to follow alone. Maybe a shuams outline book?

Feel free to share your experience

I think this question was answered fully in the responses to the thread you made in regards to Griffiths Electrodynamics book.

There is no substitute for reading a textbook(s). Not sure how many times you want people to repeat this to you.

Stewart Calculus is one of the easiest textbooks to learn from. Stick with it. There exist better books, but if you are struggling with Stewart, then you are not ready for other books.

What exactly are you having issues with? The graphing?

If its the graphing, that means your pre-calculus skills (graphing functions) may not be up to par. Which compounds further when" drawning" in R^3. A chapter dealing with graphing should be in order if so. Ie., reading, doing problems, and rereading.

Is your calculus single variable caculus any good?

In any case, stop relying to much on videos...

 

[MidgetDwarf]

Students also find Paul's Calculus online as a great SUPPLEMENT. Not, a replacement for an actual textbook, but may help elucidate a topic you are struggling with.

 

[Delta2]

"If you ain't confused, you ain't learning"

Haven't heard that one before, but yeah the more I think over it, the more wise it sounds to me.

 

[bigmike94]

I think this question was answered fully in the responses to the thread you made in regards to Griffiths Electrodynamics book.

There is no substitute for reading a textbook(s). Not sure how many times you want people to repeat this to you.

Stewart Calculus is one of the easiest textbooks to learn from. Stick with it. There exist better books, but if you are struggling with Stewart, then you are not ready for other books.

What exactly are you having issues with? The graphing?

If its the graphing, that means your pre-calculus skills (graphing functions) may not be up to par. Which compounds further when" drawning" in R^3. A chapter dealing with graphing should be in order if so. Ie., reading, doing problems, and rereading.

Is your calculus single variable caculus any good?

In any case, stop relying to much on videos...

Yeah I am starting to understand that. I believe I’m ready for calculus 3, I spent the last 6 month on calculus 2 doing 100s of problems and felt really comfortable and was scoring over 92% on my university tests.

I think I just need to get used to reading mathematics just like I am with my intro physics book.

I actually did a few pages of James calculus last night and it ain’t as bad as first thought. I think most books will seem confusing if you haven’t followed from the start, it’s a new topic and you’re just trying to quickly scan the pages, I think it’s quite obvious we can’t simply quickly scan a maths textbook

I have followed peoples advice on the other thread and have started reading a linear algebra book and differential equations book instead of relying on videos. So I do appreciate the advice

 

[Vanadium 50]

While I have people here, can anyone recommend me a differential equations textbook that has a tonne of worked examples and explains things clearly. I only have shuams outlines. The Dennis Zill book seems to be okay?

No.

(1) You aren't ready. No textbook will fix that.
(2) There are very few books at that level with a "tonne of worked examples". As you move away from elementary mathematics, you get less and less hand-holding.

 

[mathwonk]

the whole idea of differential calculus is that a smooth function is well approximated locally by its derivative, which is a linear function, hence easily calculable. E.g. if the derivative is invertible, then so is the smooth function locally. I.e. if the derivative function at a is linearly invertible, then the original smooth function is smoothly invertible on some open neighborhood of a.

This is true in all dimensions, hence the several variables version is that if the linear derivative, as a function of several variables, or the matrix of partials, is invertible at a, then so is the original function near a.

so learn to compute partial derivatives, and then learn how to combine them into a matrix for the full derivative.

 

[PhDeezNutz]

I found Stewart to be way more thorough than Larson which I found to be lacking substance while being flashy.

Schaum’s should help but not be a replacement.