Calculus [Hardcover]

Ron Larson (Author), Bruce H. Edwards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0547167024 | ISBN-13: 978-0547167022 | Edition: 9

The Larson CALCULUS program has a long history of innovation in the calculus market. It has been widely praised by a generation of students and professors for its solid and effective pedagogy that addresses the needs of a broad range of teaching and learning styles and environments. Each title is just one component in a comprehensive calculus course program that carefully integrates and coordinates print, media, and technology products for successful teaching and learning.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1328 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 9 edition (January 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547167024
• ISBN-13: 978-0547167022
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Version: Not Ready for Prime Time!, August 30, 2010

By 

Bruce K. Vines (Florissant, MO, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Calculus, 9th Edition (Kindle Edition)

I bought the Kindle version of this book because I need a calculus reference to take with me and I don't want to carry another really big book. I have to say that having a text like this in my Kindle is a wonderful thing. I've seen some negative comments about the material in this book. Frankly, I find it to be a very understandable text. I like the author's presentation. So why one star? The formatting of the Kindle version. Wow! I'm reading through the first chapter and there are literally dozens of places where you have a variable name, such as x or y, that is joined to the next word (ex: For the function fdefined...are used instead of x.To evaluate...function was fi rst, etc) On one page the word "nonverticallines" appears twice. Here's one: "...are equivalent because Ll=0." There's no "Ll" anywhere else on the page. What this should have been was delta-x = 0. There are run-together's, misspellings, things left out, incorrect symbols...Again, that's only the first chapter. It's a shame to pay $139.00 and get a mess like this. This one's not ready for prime time.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for undergraduate Calculus., March 30, 2010

By 

E. Torres (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Calculus (Hardcover)

Calculus by Larson,Hostetler, Edwards book was the series of books I used in my undergraduate Calc 1-3 classes.

Quick Summary:

Pros: Good number of exercises, *some* good examples, lots of illustrations, lots of good guidelines and formula sheets.

Cons: Some not-so-great examples, some examples *should* add more algebra steps, 3 editions in 7 years necessary, cost of book-per-class versus 3-set volume is absurd.

Full Review:

All in all I think this book was pretty good through the year and a half run I had for calculus 1-3, and the last two-three years since then when I have tutored the subjects.

If you need a book with a TON of good exercise sets, this book works well. There's A LOT of problems in each section, and most of the time the instructions clearly state what needs to be done, and what concept is being used. There are times that notation or instructions seem a bit obfuscated, however infrequent it may be.

As for examples... most examples are good if you have a firm grasp of algebraic skills. Unfortunately, if you are rusty or not on par with your algebra, many examples can seem painful to understand or navigate. They don't always mention what algebra trick is used, unless the specific section mandates heavy algebra (like the section for Partial Fraction Decomposition as a tool for Integration). This is probably most troubling in the first couple of chapters, since solving most limits involve quite the few algebra tricks. There should at least be a section devoted to an algebra review.

One great pro about the book is that there are plenty of guidelines and formula sheets found in it. You'll find it quite useful to copy them down, or photocopy some of these pages to have a small set of 5-6 pages full of quick reference materials. There are great guidelines on Integration by Parts, as well as Trigonometric Integrals, Series Tests, and the first/last page of the text includes FOUR pages of useful Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus formulas.

The only other complaint that I have is the price tag for the sectioned versions of the book. $150 (on Amazon) for all three sections of Calculus isn't a bad deal. Paying $90-120 for Calc 1, Calc 2, and Calc 3 separately however, is a ripoff. If you are a Math/Engineering student that *knows* you will take all three sections, get this version.

This is also an issue I have to question... why three versions spanning from 2002-2009? It's not unique to this book, as so many books in College Education get "updates" in a 2-3 year period... but one has to question this.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars nice cover, December 17, 2009

By 

Osborn (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calculus (Hardcover)

I think the flaw with this book is that it skips steps in the examples. A lot of Calc 1 students aren't wizards with the rules of algebra, and it would be cool if the calc book showed more of how they solve the example problems. I think they try to save on space on their examples and often when they run out of room on the page, the example says the rest is left as an exercise. I've spent hours staring at the examples and hours scratching my head how they get from step to step. I'm actually looking for a second book to use as reference as the class is assigned to use this one. Calc is awesome and very different than previous maths, but confusing as hell, and an elaborate text is essential.

-edited a couple years later- This book isn't so bad. No calc book can be as in depth as a student wants it to be. The student still is going to struggle and pull hair out no matter how the examples are layed out. I've switched schools and the second calc book was a slimmed down version of the one in review here. So, no more complaining about this book. It is more detailed than the new one I'm using. I actually get this book out for reference now. This book has lots of examples and excercises.