Prerequisites to Mathematical methods Mary Boas

[Curieuse]

Hello! I'm looking to study Mary Boas' Book on mathematical methods and i'd like to know if the prerequisites can be covered in ocw mit courses or any other open courses. Please do suggest if any.

Also are there any parallels that can be drawn with the ocw mit courses for the various topics covered in the book. I have had a very brief experience with Abstract Algebra , vector calculus, differential equations and 3D geometry and a small amount of real analysis.. I only have like the problem solving strategic knowledge and a very poor basis in the theories involved.

Please suggest open courses to precede and follow through with the mathematical methods text. I'm aiming to develop enough math to tackle more advanced physics courses in college. Thanks!

 

[ZapperZ]

Hello! I'm looking to study Mary Boas' Book on mathematical methods and i'd like to know if the prerequisites can be covered in ocw mit courses or any other open courses. Please do suggest if any.

Also are there any parallels that can be drawn with the ocw mit courses for the various topics covered in the book. I have had a very brief experience with Abstract Algebra , vector calculus, differential equations and 3D geometry and a small amount of real analysis.. I only have like the problem solving strategic knowledge and a very poor basis in the theories involved.

Please suggest open courses to precede and follow through with the mathematical methods text. I'm aiming to develop enough math to tackle more advanced physics courses in college. Thanks!

Strange post that I can't quite put my finger on.

Have you read the Preface in the Mary Boas's text? It says:

This book is particularly intended for the student with one year of calculus who wants to develop, in a short time, a basic competency in each of the many areas of mathematics needed in junior to senior-graduate courses in physics, chemistry, and engineering. Thus it is intended to be accessible to sophomores (or freshman with AP calculus from high school).

That should tell you a lot of the necessary background to work through the book.

Zz.

 

[Curieuse]

@ZapperZ Yes i did read the preface and also the book review in the forum here. But also, there was this course page in a university that asked for analysis, linear algebra, and so on... Which got me a bit off guard. I'm thinking is revision of single variable calculus going to be sufficient? The one on ocw. Or following through till differential eqns.. what math equivalents on ocw will i have to take to have a sound basis for starting off in the book? And also any that go with it..

Strange post. I know it's the deal with me i need to find open courses in whatever i do. :'(

 

[ZapperZ]

@ZapperZ Yes i did read the preface and also the book review in the forum here. But also, there was this course page in a university that asked for analysis, linear algebra, and so on... Which got me a bit off guard. I'm thinking is revision of single variable calculus going to be sufficient? The one on ocw. Or following through till differential eqns.. what math equivalents on ocw will i have to take to have a sound basis for starting off in the book? And also any that go with it..

Strange post. I know it's the deal with me i need to find open courses in whatever i do. :'(

It's strange because I suspect that you have stuff in your head that you didn't realize that we know nothing about.

What is "this course page" and what does that have anything to do with the topic of this thread? What does that course have anything to do with Mary Boas text? This, you never explained. I can't give you any advice on such thing because I know nothing about them. All I can address is the very question you asked in the beginning and in the topic.

Zz.

 

[Curieuse]

@ZapperZ sorry again! The course page i was talking about was https://www.ifm.liu.se/courses/tfya18/f17_1.htm
I went there for prerequisites on a suggestion to be bamboozled much. It's a course with the boas text as main textbook.
So are prerequisites covered in a single var calculus course? Or do i need to do multivar , diff eqns etc before starting off.

 

[ZapperZ]

Then you need to contact someone who either runs the course, or know something about it.

It is ALWAYS better to know more than what is required. Mary Boas's text assumes that you know calculus at the first year level. However, that is a minimum requirement, and you can only get through the book IS you follow it systematically, i.e you improve your mathematics as you go through it.

If an instructor teaching a class using it decides to jump around (i.e. he/she thinks that some of the material is too elementary and want to tackle the more advanced ones sooner than later), then yes, you will need to have more mathematics than if you go through the book sequentially from the beginning.

So the answer to your original question is exactly what I wrote of the Preface to the book. Beyond that, if it is related to a course, then you need to find out what the course requires, because this is now a DIFFERENT question than asking what is needed for JUST the book.

Zz.

 

[Curieuse]

It is ALWAYS better to know more than what is required. Mary Boas's text assumes that you know calculus at the first year level. However, that is a minimum requirement, and you can only get through the book IS you follow it systematically, i.e you improve your mathematics as you go through it.

This is what i was asking about. Pardon my communication skills. Improve math as i go through it is the goal and i was wondering if there was a mapping between the boas chapters and math courses online.