Differential Equations (with CD-ROM) [Hardcover]

Paul Blanchard (Author), Robert L. Devaney (Author), Glen R. Hall (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534385141 | ISBN-13: 978-0534385149 | Publication Date: January 18, 2002 | Edition: 2

The authors stress a more balanced approach, one that includes analytic, numeric, and graphical techniques. The book emphasizes modeling and qualitative theory throughout the course. It employs technology significantly and consistently, presents linear and nonlinear systems in parallel, and includes an introduction to discrete dynamical systems. This text grew out of the Boston University Differential Equations Project, funded in part by the National Science Foundation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Blanchard is Associate Professor of Mathematics at Boston University. Paul grew up in Sutton, Massachusetts, spent his undergraduate years at Brown University, and received his Ph.D. from Yale University. He has taught college mathematics for twenty-five years, mostly at Boston University. In 2001, he won the Northeast Section of the Mathematical Association of America's Award for Distinguished Teaching in Mathematics. He has coauthored or contributed chapters to four different textbooks. His main area of mathematical research is complex analytic dynamical systems and the related point sets¿Julia sets and the Mandelbrot set. Most recently his efforts have focused on reforming the traditional differential equations course, and he is currently heading the Boston University Differential Equations Project and leading workshops in this innovative approach to teaching differential equations. When he becomes exhausted fixing the errors made by his two coauthors, he usually closes up his CD store and heads to the golf course with his caddy, Glen Hall.

Robert L. Devaney is Professor of Mathematics at Boston University. Robert was raised in Methuen, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from Holy Cross College and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught at Boston University since 1980. His main area of research is complex dynamical systems, and he has lectured extensively throughout the world on this topic. In 1996 he received the National Excellence in Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America. When he gets sick of arguing with his coauthors over which topics to include in the differential equations course, he either turns up the volume of his opera CDs, or heads for waters off New England for a long distance sail.

Glen R. Hall is Associate Professor of Mathematics at Boston University. Glen spent most of his youth in Denver, Colorado. His undergraduate degree comes from Carleton College and his Ph.D. comes from the University of Minnesota. His research interests are mainly in low-dimensional dynamics and celestial mechanics. He has published numerous articles on the dynamics of circle and annulus maps. For his research he has been awarded both NSF Postdoctoral and Sloan Foundation Fellowships. He has no plans to open a CD store since he is busy raising his two young sons. He is an untalented, but earnest, trumpet player and golfer. He once bicycled 148 miles in a single day.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 2 edition (January 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534385141
• ISBN-13: 978-0534385149
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Textbook - Not So Good Reference, July 25, 2001

By 

R. Rockwell (Angwin, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Differential Equations (Miscellaneous/Catalogs S.) (Hardcover)

As a differential equations instructor I used Boyce and DiPrima for many years. Its a good, solid presentation of differential equations and a great reference. However, I was always disappointed that my students ended up with no "feel" for differential equations. Also I became convinced that more methods were needed for nonlinear differential equations. After using a couple of other books which seemed to be slanted toward more qualitative approaches I came across Blanchard's book. I used it as a textbook for my class for several years now and I have found it to be a near perfect match to my goals. Some consider it wordy but I appreciate the motivation and insight the authors try to bring to the concepts. As a result it is not a good reference but as a textbook it is great. There are plenty of graphical tools. Quite suprising to me is how much the book illuminates DE's by simply analyzing the components of the DE, even before any solution is attempted. These features, along with some integrated applications, gives students much more of the "feel" for differential equations I have been looking for.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Students Perspective, December 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Differential Equations (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

As a recent differential equations student, I have mixed feelings about this book. I did thoroughly read those portions of the book covered by my instructor, and I did learn enough from it to get an A in the class. So I'll concede that it does a fairly good job as a textbook. In fact, I found it relatively easy to understand, which surprised me given the subject. However, the book has two serious shortcomings.

First, it's too verbose. The authors probably could have cut the size of this book in half without sacrificing any of its clarity or utility; in fact, they would likely have improved upon both had they done so. Mind you, I'm not suggesting that it's boring, it's just too long for a student in a hurry.

The second shortcoming is its questionable value as a reference book. Most math books with which I'm familiar have extensive indexes, and do a good job of highlighting important concepts and formulas. This book does neither. The index for this 786 page book is just over nine pages long. That might not sound bad, but many of the entries refer back to specific examples and homework problems with arcane names like "Magic Fingers", "Glass Harmonica", and "Robo-lobster", even while many key words were omitted. To make matter worse, the authors (according to their preface for students) made it a point not to mark important material in a way that would make it stand out. They also wrote many of their more advanced examples in a way that forces students to derive the intermediate steps on their own. This is arguably educational, as it forces students to practice earlier material while they're reading, but I can only imagine the hell it's going to put me through when I have to refer back to the book years from now.

In short, if you have a lot of time on your hands, this is a great book from which to learn differential equations. However, it's a terrible reference book, and nearly impossible to skim. In fact, it's even hard to study from.

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Long and Fluffy Intro to Differential Equations, February 14, 2005

By 

Marc Corluy (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Differential Equations (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I am an instructor teaching an introductory differential equations class using this book. Regrettably, the book is more of an extra weight to carry than a heplful tool.
Yet it is not so obvious to see why. A lot of the explonations are rather well done,
the examples are quite well chosen and constantly, th authors are trying to generate
a certain intuition in the reader.
I suppose the problem is that it is a full blooded ripoff textbook. It costs a whopping
$125 and therefore, it must have almost 800 pages, a shiny expensive looking
hardcover and a CD-ROM. The CD-ROM contains "Maple applet" like tools, that
come with huge drawbacks: often you can only choose the parameters in an equation in a very small interval and there is no normal way to print out any of the
graphics. You have to do a screen dump and then crop out the output screen of
these tools. Most freeware has more functionality.
To conclude, I suppose that my dislike for this book is mainly generated by the
fact that it has all the flaws of a textbook in todays perverted textbook market:
<ul>
<li>overpriced
<li>comes with a semi-useless CD-rom
<li>explanations grotesquely drawn out, e.g. the basic theory of linear systems of
differential takes about 80 pages
<li>core concepts and ideas are freely mixed with tangential remarks and colorful
"faits divers" making no distinction between them whatsoever; when seeing diff. eq. for the first time you'll be as confused as humanly possible
</ul>
Finally, I would like to end with a quote from the "Note to the Student" in the book:
"This book is probably different from most of your previous mathematics texts.
If you thumb through it, you will see that there are very few boxed formulas, no margin, notes and very few n-step procedures. We wrote the book this way because
we think that you are now at a point in your education were you should be learning
to identify and work effectively with the mathematics inherent in everyday life."
Can you believe this arrogance? This attitude is fine if you write a book for scientists and engineers to read by the fireplace on a cold winter evening while sipping from a glass of earthy and robust wine from the Bordeaux or Sud-Est regions, but not if you actually write it with students in mind, students that are going through their first diff. eq. class.
In short, as a reference it is useless, as a study guide it is mediocre at best, as "science leisure" book it is quite acceptable. But then, that would never fetch $125 on the free market.