Calculus With Analytic Geometry [Hardcover]

George Simmons (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070576424 | ISBN-13: 978-0070576421 | Publication Date: October 1, 1996 | Edition: 2nd

Written by acclaimed author and mathematician George Simmons, this revision is designed for the calculus course offered in two and four year colleges and universities. It takes an intuitive approach to calculus and focuses on the application of methods to real-world problems. Throughout the text, calculus is treated as a problem solving science of immense capability.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 887 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 2nd edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070576424
• ISBN-13: 978-0070576421
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebuttal to Mr. Harris' Review, September 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Calculus With Analytic Geometry (Hardcover)

While it is true that Simmons advocates leaving off the absolute value sign when integrating 1/x dx, and even assuming he got one problem wrong involving this, to dismiss the entire book as "rubbish" and to recommend "avoiding [it] like the plague" is completely unfair and totally out of proportion. Furthermore, claiming that it's "confusing" to even introduce the idea of the derivative before a formal definition of a limit is given is also unfair. There's absolutely nothing wrong with providing students with this kind of motivation, and you really don't need a formal definition of a limit to understand the concept. Having a correct and intuitive understanding with a minimum of prerequisites is helpful and an admirable pedagogical goal. [In fact, a classic calculus text (the two-volume set by Tom Apostol) even treats integration before differentiation (and limits), and it's completely correct and clear.] I trust that the fact that every other reviewer gave this book extremely high praise will give students the confidence to read and use this text to learn Calculus in an ideal way.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best calculus book I've seen, November 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Calculus With Analytic Geometry (Hardcover)

Speaking as an average math student, I found Dr. Simmons' book to be the best "read" of any text out there. The book's writing style was excellent, the example problems were quite helpful, and the appendicies were terrific-- especially the biographical sketches of history's mathematical greats. Those made for a pleasant break when the rigors of infinite series or double integrals took their toll!

On a technical level, the book is as solid as any out there, and does a fine job of covering two semesters' worth of calculus. From derivatives to gradients, it's all in there.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Oasis, April 18, 2007

By 

Christopher Osburn (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Calculus With Analytic Geometry (Hardcover)

I have a big, dirty secret: I needed three tries to get through calculus. Needless to say, I went through (or at least started) three calculus books. The third of these was Simmons' first edition of the current volume. Dr. Simmons takes a historical approach to the material, following discovery after discovery. While today we define the derivative in terms of the limit, this definition (and the delta-epsilon proof machinery beneath the limit concept) came after the geometric notion of the tangent of a curve. I found it enormously helpful to know where I was going before I started. And why not? The great mathematicians that built the rigorous foundations beneath the calculus all knew where they had to end up.

One other topic that Dr. Simmons enjoys is arithmetic series. This topic unfolded like a flower during its presentation. As I moved into computer science, this provided valuable background to some of the iterative methods of calculation I was exposed to.

I might have a different perspective, though; George Simmons was my Calc 2 prof :-)