Product Description

The mere thought of having to take a required calculus course is enough to make legions of students break out in a cold sweat. Others who have no intention of ever studying the subject have this notion that calculus is impossibly difficult unless you happen to be a direct descendant of Einstein.

Well, the good news is that you can master calculus. It′s not nearly as tough as its mystique would lead you to think. Much of calculus is really just very advanced algebra, geometry, and trig. It builds upon and is a logical extension of those subjects. If you can do algebra, geometry, and trig, you can do calculus.

Calculus For Dummies is intended for three groups of readers:

• Students taking their first calculus course – If you′re enrolled in a calculus course and you find your textbook less than crystal clear, this is the book for you. It covers the most important topics in the first year of calculus: differentiation, integration, and infinite series.
• Students who need to brush up on their calculus to prepare for other studies – If you′ve had elementary calculus, but it′s been a couple of years and you want to review the concepts to prepare for, say, some graduate program, Calculus For Dummies will give you a thorough, no–nonsense refresher course.
• Adults of all ages who′d like a good introduction to the subject – Non–student readers will find the book′s exposition clear and accessible. Calculus For Dummies takes calculus out of the ivory tower and brings it down to earth.

This is a user–friendly math book. Whenever possible, the author explains the calculus concepts by showing you connections between the calculus ideas and easier ideas from algebra and geometry. Then, you′ll see how the calculus concepts work in concrete examples. All explanations are in plain English, not math–speak. Calculus For Dummies covers the following topics and more:

• Real–world examples of calculus
• The two big ideas of calculus: differentiation and integration
• Why calculus works
• Pre–algebra and algebra review
• Common functions and their graphs
• Limits and continuity
• Integration and approximating area
• Sequences and series

Don′t buy the misconception. Sure calculus is difficult – but it′s manageable, doable. You made it through algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Well, calculus just picks up where they leave off – it′s simply the next step in a logical progression.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17822 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Back Cover
Features the rules, definitions, and formulas you need to know

Conquer your fear of calculus the fun and easy way!

Confused by the complexities of calculus? This easy–to–understand guide takes the mystery out of key calculus concepts such as limits, differentiation, and integration. You’ll ease into the basics with clear explanations, clever shortcuts, and real–life examples to help you – and you’ll discover that calculus isn’t so tough after all.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear–out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author
Mark Ryan has taught pre–math through calculus for more than a decade. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Customer Reviews

Great For A2 Physics
I have just started A2 Physics at my school. I didn't do maths to AS (just GCSE). I am the only one in my class without an AS in Maths. My teacher told me that I needed to know about Differentiation and Integration in order to progress my A grade in AS physics to an A in A2.

I always had the idea that Calculus was simply a very complicated area of Mathematics developed by Newton. I didn't know anything else (remember I only had a Maths GCSE).

I thought I'd buy this book to see if it could help me. The fantastic thing is that it explains every single concept in an extremely simple way (starting with the very basics). I believe that I am now up to the high standard of the mathematicians in my class and am able to understand the important mathematical concepts in physics that use calculus as a basis for their explanation. In particular, OCR's Advancing Physics A2 - Creating Models section.

You really don't need to be a math genius to understand this book fully!

Shock, horror, calculus is easy (well sort of!)
If you`ve ever looked at a polynomial equation and thought that learning Martian would be easier, or even that knowing what a polynomial was would make a lot more sense, then this is the book for you. Granted, the book does assume that you have some prior knowledge of algebra and trig but I have only the most basic grasp of them and still managed to follow the book. The chapters are well set out and explain painful looking equations for differentiation and integration in simple,easy to follow terms. Calculus for Dummies acts like a kindly mentor; easing you through the hard bits, holding your hands when the numbers start to look like gibberish and celebrating with you at the end of the chapter that maths no longer seems like a strange and alien concept!

Got My Son Through
Bought this book for my son doing a foundation year in order to catch up on mathematics to a level in order to do a degree in electronics. Could hardly say that my son put in effort whilst doing A levels and really needed to up his game in order to carry on. Panic set in and he bust a gut and actually passed his maths. Stunned me I have to say. And to get to the point, one of the modules was calculus, which this book admirably helped him pass. Now I don't suggest for a second that this is definitive and if you are going on to study mathematics in some form to degree level then of course this will be basic stuff, however at A level standard and for those using maths as a tool to do a differnent degree - engineering or electronics, then this is a pretty good guide. You may need a much heavier tomb as well, but from what I have seen, this is a good solid book for those who need to learn the subject.