Which Calculus books are recommended for beginners and more advanced learners?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for calculus books suitable for beginners and more advanced learners, with a focus on foundational mathematics for pursuing physics. Participants share various titles and express their opinions on the suitability of these books for different levels of understanding.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant requests recommendations for beginner and advanced calculus books to build a solid math background for physics.
  • Another participant lists several calculus books, including "Calculus" by Larson and "Calculus: Early Transcendentals" by Stewart, suggesting they are suitable for beginners and mentioning the importance of linear algebra and statistics.
  • A different participant expresses appreciation for Michael Spivak's "Calculus," describing it as clear and reader-friendly.
  • Another participant prefers Stewart's "Essential Calculus," highlighting its readability and effective explanations, particularly on continuity, but does not provide suggestions for advanced calculus.
  • One participant agrees with the praise for Spivak's book but argues it is not appropriate for beginners due to its undefined concepts and assumed prior knowledge, recommending Stewart's book instead.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the suitability of Spivak's "Calculus" for beginners, with some recommending it and others cautioning against it. There is no consensus on which advanced calculus book to recommend.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the need for foundational knowledge in linear algebra and statistics, but these topics are not elaborated upon in detail. The discussion does not resolve the suitability of various books for different learning levels.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals seeking to strengthen their calculus knowledge for applications in physics, as well as those looking for book recommendations for different levels of calculus understanding.

Luke101
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Hello, I'm wanting to get a solid maths background so i can pursue physics but I've pretty much forgotten everything i learned at GCSE level.

Can you please recommend a beginners calculus book and a more advanced Calculus for when I've done. Any other Maths topics i should be looking into?

Please post your recommended books, thanks a lot, Luke :)
 
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basic books for calculus :

* Larson, Ron, Bruce H. Edwards (2010). "Calculus", 9th ed., Brooks Cole Cengage Learning. ISBN 9780547167022
* McQuarrie, Donald A. (2003). Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers, University Science Books. ISBN 9781891389245
* Stewart, James (2008). Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 6th ed., Brooks Cole Cengage Learning. ISBN 9780495011668
* Thomas, George B., Maurice D. Weir, Joel Hass, Frank R. Giordano (2008), "Calculus", 11th ed., Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-321-48987-X

* thomas calculus is also a good book for calculus...you should also have to concentrate on linear algebra for applications, probability and statistics also
 
Thanks a lot for the reply! ill look into getting them :))
 
I've found Michael Spivak's Calculus refreshingly clear and reader-friendly.
 
I prefer Stewart's Essential Calculus to his longer text. It's a wonderful book for introductory calculus. Very easy to read, has good exercises, and some of his explanations (especially on continuity) are genius.

I have no suggestions for advanced calculus, however.
 
I like Spivak's calculus, but I would not consider it a beginner book at all. A great deal in the first few chapters goes undefined, and it's almost like he expects the reader to have some formal knowledge of mathematical wording. I would stick to something like the Stewart book.
 

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