Customer Reviews

Applied Calculus Second Edition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a pile of calculus books I tried to read,I now use them to keep a box closed full of home brewed beer to prevent exploding bottles to fly through my office. I had an F in Math in High School. Then, 40 years later I went to college for the first time (for entertainment purposes only as I like math) taking the highest math class they offered right away: calculus. I got an A. This book is why. I was blown away how well it explains it. Way to go! Too bad it is so expensive. I had to re-buy it as I carelessly lend it to my shrink. He never returned it denying I gave it to him. Now, my 13 year old daughter took it. But she only uses it to smash it on my head every time I forget to pay her allowance.

I have purchased a few math textbooks in my time and this one is overpriced for two reasons:

1.) This book has the most useless graphing calculator explanations I have ever encountered in a math textbook. Most people who take the classes that this book is useful for are business majors or some form of science that does not require an in-depth knowledge of calculus. This book is teaching applied calculus. As in, applying calculus to real world business and social science problems you will come across in the afore mentioned fields. It is just as important to teach how to obtain the desired results from a graphing calculator as it is to teach the fundamentals behind the way these problems are solved. In real world situations, shortcuts save money. Graphing calculators and spreadsheet software provide many shortcuts. This book, at best, shows you the screen that you should obtain after going through all of the steps it neglects to show you. If you are lucky...very lucky...it will tell you the main command that you use to get the desired result, leaving out the steps to find this command and what to enter when you do. Most people who take this class will be using a TI-83/84 Plus calculator. They could at least provide these instructions. See Triola, for a great example of how a math book should integrate calculator instructions.

2.) There are numerous errors that I (and my instructor) have found in the answer keys of this textbook and its accompanying solutions manual. In fact, the in many cases the solution manual gives a different result than the answer key in the back of the book. These are necessary tools to check your work and make sure you have everything down before you head of to a test. Homework usually doesn't count for much in college classes, it's all about the testing. The problem here is that it wastes your time, and you think your'e goin f-ing crazy when you do everything right and the answer key tells you that you are wrong. A typo is expected here or there, but this book has way too many for the price they are charging. This on par with the most expensive math books I have ever purchased.

Other than that, I like the way the book is designed. They just need some quality control and at least a calculator appendix and this book would be worth the ridiculous price they're charging.

This is a fantastic book. Explanations are clear, and there are plenty of relevant word problems. Makes a difficult course easy if you're willing to put the time into it.

Clear and straightforward applications for business. Explains derivatives in a much better way than books I own by other publishers on the same topic.

I highly recommend this tome.

The book was about 75% cheaper then the average, the book was in great condition. It was almost new!