Undergraduate or beginning mathematical methods book?

[bjnartowt]

"Undergraduate" or "beginning" mathematical methods book?

Hi everyone, I'd like to know your recommendations for an "introductory" mathematical methods book. I have a book by Frederick Byron and Robert Fuller...that's a good book, but it seems suited for the grad level. I'm looking for the "Griffiths" amidst mathematical methods books, if that makes any sense. You know, the "introductory" text that would be used at a junior or senior undergrad level. Is Mary Boas's text one such introductory text?

It's going to help organise my big bibliography of sources I use when typing out my own notes and, in following the advice of a prof. I'm doing research for (yay!), reading *multiple* books on a single topic.

: ) thanks : )

 

[Ja4Coltrane]

Hello,

Mary Boas is by FAR the most popular undergraduate math methods book. I kind of thing that some physicists go a little crazy for it in fact (maybe crazy for her? I don't know) but whatever the case, it's a good book and it has the virtue of covering MANY topics. Reading it will even teach you a good bit of physics.

I warn you that Boas is imprecise mathematically. It assumes that the reader is mathematically naive in the sense that it uses infinitesimal arguments and similar things all the time. On the other hand, Boas is better about it then some people.

This is starting to turn into a rant, but I just want to say that I personally don't mind that sort of thing just so long as the author doesn't pretend that the argument is totally sound.

Anyway, good luck with your project!