Customer Reviews

Forgotten Calculus

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I picked up this book, I had completed one quarter of calculus at the university level (about 15 years prior), and had accumulated a bookshelf full of calculus texts and self-help books over the subsequent years, with the best of intentions of delving deeper into the subject. It never happened, though. All of the books I had obtained on the subject were either obtuse, mind-numbingly dull, or both. Then I discovered Dr. Bleau's Forgotten Calculus. At first, I was somewhat daunted by the title, because for me there was a lot of "not-taken" calculus in her book, but then I noted the blurb on the cover, the last clause of the last sentence, which read "...and can be used by adults who have never studied calculus."

This is simply the best self-help book I have ever come across. It took me about two months to complete, working through the material in my spare time. The subject matter was stimulating and clearly explained, favoring the practical over the theoretical. Best of all, it left me wanting for more -- an uncommon feat for a math book, especially one about calculus.

This book provides a gentle review of differential and integral calculus. About 2/3rds of the material is devoted to differential calculus. Numerous fully worked examples, as well as problems with full solutions, are provided in each Unit. Each of the 28 Units ends with a relatively long list of exercises, usually hovering around 20 or so. Fully worked answers, not just solutions, for all exercises are provided at the end of the book.

Some of the features which make the book appealing as a basic introduction may limit its usefulness for those who need to use calculus for more advanced work or "real world" problems in the immediate future. Examples are overly simplified compared to even modestly complex applications in the undergraduate curriculum or "real world". As an example, the Unit on Linear Applications presents a demand function for a homemade cake business, where the business can sell no more than 10 cakes. This is excellent for a novice calculus learner, but it might disappoint the economics's major who might hope for a few more realistic examples. The business nature of problems used in the text and exercises will limit the books value for engineering and science students.

The book, as one might expect of any mathematics book, is not free from errors, although the number is smaller than one would expect for a book with this many worked problems. Also, most of the errors are fairly obvious and should not be a problem, even for beginners. As an example of the errors one might encounter, here are some from Unit 6. On page 79 a "+" is inadvertently changed to a "-"; example 5 gives the wrong vertex for a quadratic function, and the graph of 6.1 gives incorrect values for f(-1) and f(-5). Occasionally a problem solution is left off as in Exercise 5d in Unit 11, or a problem appears, Exercise 20 in Unit 15, that is unconnected to the material in the Unit.

The book is an "old style" calculus text in that it emphasizes repetitive pencil and paper problem solutions. The text and Exercises often provide a small amount of material on and for the TI-83 graphing calculator. However, the emphasis is clearly on solutions to simplified problems, easily solved by hand. The exercises provide for extensive repetition. For the reader having problems, this is extremely helpful. Others, however, may select to solve only a few of the end of chapter exercises. Some may even decide to solve only the examples and problems in the text and skip the exercises completely, as the text presents all the necessary material clearly. However, the book provides plenty of exercises if needed.

In summary, this book is an excellent basic introduction or review of calculus for the business or economics major. Its a friendly introduction, with concepts clearly explained with relatively few errors.

I kept track of the time to read a number of chapters and solve all chapter exercises. Based on the results, it should be possible to complete the book at a reasonably comfortable pace within three weeks, or within two weeks with a more concentrated effort.

This is one of the better practical texts available for a cursory review of calculus. My congratulations to Barron's and Dr. Lee Bleau. I usually do not take the time to comment on books although I like to get some feedback before buying a book. I felt so good about this text that I had to recommend it for anyone who wants to review their precalculus and calculus. It has a great synopsis of functions, as is usually covered under precalculus courses. It then moves on to derivatives, differential and integral calculus. Other "quick learning"/review books have not been as "smooth" as this one. The topics are covered clearly and in good order. There are a lot of example problems, with solutions, that help reinforce the learning process. I have actually found that I enjoy reading this book. The author does a great job in covering the material.

This book is a miracle! As a college student currently taking calculus class, I was saved by this book. This book is not one of those stale boring textbooks that bombard you with thousands of incomprehensible formula, proofs and theorems that drive you absolutely insane Rather, this book gets to the point right away. In each chapter, it presents the subject of study in a quick short paragraph, and immediately begins to teach us how to calculate the problems using important rules and formula. For every example problems, the author writes out every single step, complemented by concise explanation, to show us how to solve a problem. At the end of each chapter are a set of more problems, accompanied at the back of this book by detailed explanation of solution. The writing style in this book is very personal, not formal, so that this book is easier to understand, and not intimidating. If I am asked to use three words to describe this book, then it would have to be "effective, concise, fast".

For those of us in college currently taking calculus, especially those who are taking so many classes that they don't seem to have enough time to study, this book is a must have.

P.S: This book deserves a ten stars out of five. But such option is not possible on Amazon, so I can only rank it a five.

When I decided to pursue my engineering degree I discovered that I needed to take calculus-1 and 2. I had already taken calculus-1, but that was over 7 years ago. I then realized I'd "FORGOTTEN CALCULUS". This book was for me, literally. Anyone who desires a calculus review, or would like to learn on their own, should pick up this text. A basic knowledge of algebra is all that is really required. The algebraic review, in the first 9 lessons (out of 28), makes the transition to calculus a breeze. The author is careful to not take anything for granted, and never goes off on tangents (ha ha). The worked out examples have a natural progression that makes sense of the entire problem, not just the answer. The problems and exercises, which you work out yourself, are very comprehensive and appropriate. All the answers are given so that you can check your work. This book rocks!

I bought this and its companion book, Forgotten Algebra, in the hopes of shoring up math skills for engineering and physics classes. This is not a useful book for such. It gets about as far as the chain rule and some simple multivariable stuff, with an emphasis on biz apps. My mistake, the book is likely fine for most readers just wanting a quick refresh of the very bssics.

I have collected a shelf full of calculus books over the years. I looked for the "magic bullet." This book is it. The pre-calculus review at the beginning brings you back to speed. Then each chapter deftly progresses into the heart of the matter. I highly recommend this a book for even rank beginners. The writing is top shelf and the ideas are clear and easily grasped.

I just passed the Calculus CLEP exam with the help of this book. I started a month ago with the school textbook, library books and other books at the bookstore on Calculus. Two weeks into studying I thought it was hopeless becuase I was could figure out only the most basic problems. This book helped me get past the first stumbling blocks, and I had no more difficulties as I finished the rest of the book over the next two weeks. I spent the past few days reviewing my school textbook and finally understanding the problems.

I teach a business calculus refresher course at a local university and use this as a referenece book for students. All the feedback that I have received from students has been extremely positive.

It does a great job of reviewing the basic ideas and mechanics of basic calculus and manages to throw in some applications as well. (This is the only weakness of the text...applications are limited, especially with respect to integration.)

Being accepted into a MBA program was great until we jumped right into calculus based economics. Not working with any type of math and having been out of college for 15 years, I was totally lost. I ordered this book based on the reviews from other writers and am thankful I did.

This book explains some very complex matters in a easy to understand way. The author makes no assumptions about your math ability or lack thereof. The book is broken down into easy to manage study units. You decide on what pace you want to go.

For anyone who has been away from calculus or not even taken calculus, I strongly recommend Forgoten Calculus.