Customer Reviews

Conics (Dolciani Mathematical Expositions)

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This book is a treasure of information about conics, hyperbola, sphere etc. It is just a little above me, a Cal III student but with persistence I can learn a little here and there. Sadly, it is difficult to read; the author gets in the way. The author is trying too hard to be a narrative writer with dialog between the Philosopher, the Teacher and the Student. On numerous occasions he says things like 'This is interesting...' Any one who has taken a beginning writers course is taught 'Don't say "This is interesting..."; just say what you have to say and the reader would find it interesting.'

In addition, he insists on putting historical pieces throughout the text. The dialog and historical boxes get in the way of the ellipses, the concentric circles, the radii...

This is a shame: I wonder how many readers, like me, were turned away and unable to make it through the book.