Which Differential Equations Book is Best for Beginners?

[anthlei]

Hi everybody, which Differential Equations book is Better for Beginner, Blanchard or Edwards & Penney book?
Which Student Solutions Manual of the Book is not “by doing this and this then you’ll get this”?
Thanks

 

[ranger]

Don't get the book by Edwards & Penney! Its a horribly written an organized book. I've had professors who frown upon it. The authors write like a bunch of newbs. My school is in the process of replacing it by a more competent book. But unfortunately I've had the experience of using this book for my DE class :(

I don't know about Blanchard. But Boyce and DiPrima is the holy grail of intro DE books. These guys actually talk to you like you're a new student to DE and present the material in a very coherent manner. They also drop in many real life applications too. In the student solutions manual, they actually show the steps to get to the problem, much like how you'd write it if you were attempting a problem.

Good luck with your studies.

 

[a9211l]

I always thought Tenenbaum and Pollard was the standard in intro ODE's. Its very good, I use it for reference and provides examples for just about every case you can think of for any differential equation covered in a first course in ODE's.

not to mention, it has answers to all the problems.

 

[mathwonk]

i agree that tenenbum and pollard is the king. but i also think edwards and penney is fairloy well written and organized, so you need to be more specific if we are to understand each other.

blanchard devaney et al is liked by many students but to me it is mickey mouse, and vastly overpriced. if you can get a free one it is worth a read for the systems point of view.

many people have used boyce and di prima but to em again it is not that great and extremely overpriced.

a really good enjoyable book with fun appklications, and available for a for song, is the one by martin braun?, but pollard tenenbaum is the best classical book. and it is cheap too. it also has the best exercises.

read my review on amazon.

the absolute best book for theory, but not for the same audience as tenenbaum, is the one by V.I. Arnol'd.

 

[ranger]

but i also think edwards and penney is fairloy well written and organized, so you need to be more specific if we are to understand each other.

Whats there to understand? More than 60% (approx. 35 students) of the DE class went out and bought the Schaum's outline and bought/downloaded Boyce and DiPrima to supplement edwards and penney. Boyce and DiPrima wasnt used as the standard text because the department didnt like the style i.e. too wordy (cost had nothing to do with it).
Edwards and Penney would probably suffice to teach math majors, but it doesn't have nearly as much engineering applications as Boyce and DiPrima. The funny part is that he professor never gave home work from Edwards and Penney, because most of the students had Boyce and DiPrima.
But I still stand by my recommendation of B&D for a gentle introduction to DE. This is coming for a student, and not some math guru with a PhD.