Customer Reviews

Calculus: Concepts and Contexts

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Had to use this book for Calc I - It was based on so much theory and derivations, I did not understand a word of it. I guess I could put it this way: Im an A student and I got a D in calc I (which ISNT passing if your an Engineer). I did try, but this book is IMPOSSIBLE. It doesnt explain things clearly - its almost like they expect you to already KNOW calc. It might be decent for a refresher course where you have already had calculus and UNDERSTAND it, but if havnt had calc before this ISNT the book for you!!

I used this textbook for my high school calculus class, and we found many mistakes in the book itself. The textbook is quite large in size, but I think it is missing some important topics. Also, the explainations for solving different problems is extremely vague and I personally had a lot of trouble just trying to figure out what the author was getting at, rather than trying to figure out the math problems. I would not recommend this book because the explainations are too vague and difficult to comprehend.

this book is really bad... very poor examples... if you are not understanding the teacher and try to go home and look over the book yourself you WILL be lost... it is that bad... I am using 2 other books to help me to pass the course... there is a complete solutions manual Isbn 0534379265 however the publisher says this is a teachers aid. single persons can not order... the students solutions manual is not good.. my biggest advice... do not try to pass a calculus class with this book alone.. YOU WILL FAIL..

This book was actually my textbook for 3 semesters in a row, and, throughout that time, I've been basically forced to live with this book next to me at almost all times. There are certainly some good points and bad, but I'll start with the good.

First off, the book does an excellent job, in my opinion, of giving every student of (almost) all ability levels a chance to grasp some deep calculus theories. For the math majors, that includes theoretical proofs (though most are just sketched in there!) and some good proof problems near the end of each section, and, for the non-math people, many applied problems (both "textbook" and "real-world" applied problems) combined with many routine drill-type problems to drive the concepts home. I also liked the numerous amounts of graphs and pictures drawn in the book, especially for 3-D graphing and surfaces, where it's not as easy to construct those by hand. His review of algebra and trigonometry is also very helpful, as my high school did not cover some of the topics in my precalc class before I took calculus I in college.

But, for the bad, my first gripe is with the organization. You can obviously tell that the book was written in two volumes as there is a clear shift from single-variable to multi-variable in the style of presentation (less examples in the multi-variable, no CD-ROM help available) and language (he shifts from a "let's be nice to the student" point of view in the beginning to skipping some essential steps in exercises and writing like a math professor as you go along!). Also, I felt that some of the sections were out of place where they were, like the l'Hospital's Rule section being right in-between a bunch of sections on physical applications of dervatives? While I can certainly see it as being an application of derivatives, I see it as much more of a theoretical topic than an application; in my opinion, it should come near the end of techniques of differentiation (chapter 3). Also, I felt that he should've included more examples with the solids of revolution sections, one of the hardest parts of calculus for me (and MANY other people in my class); it's one of the only sections in single-variable that considers 3-D problems; therefore, it should be taken slowly, in my opinion. One other gripe: the cost! That's a lot of money to be shelling out on a single book! Luckily, I knew I would use it for three semesters, so it was worth it. If you're not planning on taking multi-variable calculus, then only buy the single-variable volume to save yourself some money!

So, my final thought: If you're looking for a book with a lot of exercises for all levels, then this is definitely a good book. If you're looking for a book to essentially replace a teacher, then this book won't do that. A good teacher will most likely need to accompany this book to really get something out of it.

This text give some of the most irrelevent material with really bad presentation and poor examples with poor explanations. I have continuously refered to Thomas' Calculus 10th edition to gain enough understanding. This book has a LOT to be desired.
S.R. @ UT Knoxville

The college I attend uses this book in their calculus classes. I can honestly say that without using Calculus, sixth edition (Larson et. al.), as a supplement in my Calc II class, I would not be passing the class. Stewart's treatment of the material leans toward the abstract. Combine that with an alarming scarcity of relevent examples and trying to learn calculus from this text can be quite frustrating.

All in all, this book can much better serve as a reference than actual teaching material.

Although big and expensive, the book misses a few key topics, which my Calculus teacher was than happy to pinpoint (e.g., lack of explanation of theorems such as the Extreme Value Theorem). On some topics it is extremely diffiult to teach oneself something, which you expect from such an expensive book. Other books do a much better job.

Throughout the book in each section, one of two things tends to be missing: either examples or the background information. The author either misses explaining concretely the meaning (and significance) of a theorem, or he "forgets" to put enough examples to suit anyone. For example, there are way too few example problems for partial fractions (esp. more difficult ones) . It was tedious even for me, someone who had already taken partial fractions.

So, overall, don't buy this book until it is required material. I don't see any other reason to.

This is definitely the worst math book I have ever seen in my life. It makes learning calculus a nightmare because there are very few examples which are not explained well at all. This book is just based on a lot of "theory" followed by horrible explanations. Calculus is really a very interesting subject, but this book makes it seem extremely boring. I now understand why James Stewart wrote the book like this: because it appeals to professors who already understand calculus. That way when all the teachers from a school's math department meet to discuss what book they will use, they'll pick this one. This increases the author's profits but it doesn't help student's to succeed. I remember trying to grasp a concept from this book for weeks with little success. After referring to an old pre-calculus book of mine, I was surprised at how easy the concept was that I couldn't learn from this book. Stewart goes out of his way to make calculus as confusing as possible. By the way, if your college or high school uses this book, you can use it as an excuse for failure. It really is that bad.

The author's complete lack of examples that actually explain the actual problems in the chapter, is slightly unnerving.

For the benefit of any student about to take a course in Calc 1 using this text, I would like to echo the sentiments expressed in the majority of the previous reviews. This book is sheer bollocks, for all of the reasons already set forth: a supreme lack of clearly presented examples in every section, and an unneccesarily abstract approach when addressing even the core principles of calculus. This text simply does not constitute a complete and thorough introduction to the subject - I have had to augment my understanding with numerous other sources. If you are planning to rely on this as a main source of information, BEWARE. You will be extremely frustrated, especially when you wind up having to purchase an auxilliary text after shelling out money for this clunker. It really is as ineffective as everyone's saying it is.