Customer Reviews

How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am a math professor at a large state university. Like math departments everywhere, we depend on calculus students for our very existence. Students who fail Calculus, or repeat customers as we like to call them, are of course the most highly appreciated of all.

An otherwise good student, given the right combination of obscure lectures and unreadable texts, may pay for the same Calculus course 2, 3 or even 4 times. The Streetwise Guide is too thin and too cheap. Moreover, the writing style gives ordinary students what they need to master Calculus the first time they take it. In other words, this book is a threat to mathematics departments everywhere.

Unless you're a mathematician, it is probably a rare thing when you find a math book that you would enjoy reading in your free time. It is utterly inconceivable that you would find a CALCULUS book that you wouldn't mind for some light night reading.

Believe it or not, inconceivable does not imply impossible, and here is the proof in hard copy. I HATE calculus and I found this book both easy to understand and actually amusing! It was an excellent refresher for my 2nd (and surprisingly successful) attempt to pass calculus II. I really wish I'd had this thing earlier, when I was slaving away through first-quarter calculus. For anyone who is taking calculus or wants to review, I give this book my highest recommendation. Now, if only these folks would write a full-length textbook!

My dad bought me this book the summer before my senior year in high school (this year) - I looked at it and thought, "yeah, right." I'm a humanities person, I got a C in my last term of Pre-calculus, and I didn't think some book was going to help. However, once my AP Calc class started, I thought "hey, might as well give it a try." That was the best idea I've had in a long time. Mr. Adams and friends explain the concepts so clearly that I have to wonder what the authors of standard calculus texts were thinking when they wrote their books. Not only do I have an A- in the class, I have a much better understanding of what we're actually learning than the students who used to do better than me by just following all the formulas. In short, I am acing calculus, and (this is very hard for me to admit) enjoying it as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who panics at the thought of calculus.

I am horrible at math. I used this book in my Calculus I class last semester (Fall 2000) and part of Calculus II and it really helped me out. With this book and a lot of determination I was able to get an 'A' in Cal I and, depending on how my final exam turns out, it looks like I might get an 'A' in Cal II. I am completely convinced I would not have done as well with just my text book alone. I was impressed that all though the book was 1/5 the size of my Calculus text, everytime I stumbled in class I was able to flip right to the section I was having problems with and it explained almost everything in a clear and relevent manner. Some of the humor in the book is a bit of stretch and there were a few topics on which I wish the book contained a bit more information. Particularly the chapter "Fancy Pants Techniques of Integration." I really could have used a little more help on Trigonometric Substitutions, Misc Substitutions, and Partial Fractions. Other than that, this book is easily one of the best educational supplements I've ever purchased. I have "How to Ace the Rest of Calculus" on order now. I hope it gets to me before the end of the semester.

This book is aptly subtitled, as so much of the advice could have been written by knowledgeable students rather than three mathematics professors. The second chapter gives you sound advice regarding how to choose a calculus instructor and what the different academic ranks often mean. While students learn this very quickly through informal channels, it is surprising to read three professors publicly stating that the instructor is the single most determining factor as to whether you enjoy or hate calculus. Of course it is often true and we all know it. Many professors view teaching undergraduates as some form of penance and it shows in the quality of their teaching. Furthermore, although things are changing a bit, working hard to instruct well is often negatively reflected in a tenure decision. The remainder of the book is a combination of a relaxed, joking style and sound advice that is part of the standard exam speech given by many teachers.

* Arrive on time.
* Read the problems carefully.
* Check your work.
* Don't erase in a panic.
* Try for partial credit.

However, presented in the form of jokes, it is possible that the message will penetrate a little deeper.
The authors also do one other very admirable thing. Rather than try to boost sales by deleting or grossly simplifying mathematical expressions, all of the major formulas of first year calculus are here, and in the same form as they appear in standard calculus texts. However, the approach is much more relaxed, which makes it more understandable than a formal text. In the days when I was teaching calculus, so many of the problems that students had was a consequence of being intimidated by the formal structure of the text and the rigor of the proofs. While there is no dispute that formal proofs are essential, the student who simply memorizes a proof probably is not learning it. A strong case can be made that if someone has a solid intuitive understanding of calculus, something clearly provided in this book, then understanding the proofs will come much more naturally and with less pain.
This is a book that should be read first and foremost by calculus teachers so that they can refer the students to the proper pages to study. The tips for success are all sensible and those who read it will be much better prepared for the rigors of taking the exams. It is hard to make calculus entertaining, but this group of authors has succeeded.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

I am heading back to school to finish up a Mathematics degree. Been away from school for a while, and even though I've completed Calc I, II and III (over 8 years ago), Calc is the prereq for my remaining advanced math courses. What to do?!?

Found this little gem three weeks ago, ordered it, and finished it tonight (an hour or two each night, and still living my life)! Given the textbook racket that seems to have become more costly than courses - not to mention filled with sometimes _too_ much information - I'm happy to say that this book is cleverly written, to the point, yet thorough with the principles and explanations of the general principles of Calculus.

I recommend this book to anyone who is:

a) about to take a beginning Calulus course
b) in need of an excellent refresher on the topic
c) would like to learn Calculus for fun, in a fun way!

Thanks goes out to the previous reviewers, and to the authors for taking the time to care about the student by setting the egos aside (next week it's on to How to Ace: the Rest of Calculus)!

After a 20 year "break", I decided to complete my EE degree. I am stationed overseas in the US Navy, and do not have access to any traditional classroom courses beyond basic college algebra. Consequently, I am forced to take all of my classes via distance learning.
Calculus can be difficult enough, but knocking 20 years of cobwebs loose with no professor, was nearly impossible.... That is, until I found this book, and How To Ace The Rest of Calculus.
I believe that I am far enough along in my studies to say that I think like an Engineer, and frankly, many mathematicians annoy me to no end. It seems as though most textbooks are written more to impress the reader with the author's vast knowledge, than to clearly and concisely explain the fundamental concepts of Calculus.
This book does just that. It removes all mystery from the verbose ramblings of traditional textbooks, and plainly explains difficult ideas.
I am certain that mathematicians the world over are using all available means to remove this book from shelves. It lets out a secret that has been more closely guarded than any nuclear weapons technology.... CALCULUS IS EASY!!!!
By the way, I got an A in Calc I and Calc II.
Buy this book, or struggle with the masses.

I have a copy of this book from the library, but I always have to give it back; so I decided to get my own. The author speak to the reader in such a unique way that you will understand by using stories that are tied in with examples that you can easily comprehend. You are not left with any unanswered questions after reading this book. I know for a fact that I would not have passed my first calculus class without using this book as a quick reference. This book is a must have.

Bought this book to serve as a Calculus quick-review guide before embarking upon Calc III. Not only did it bring me up to speed on differential calculus topics, but showed me the usefulness of calculus which makes me appreciate it for the first time.

With this book, I've finally managed to grasp seemingly elusive concepts like related rates and gained a deeper understanding of fundamentals such as limits and derivatives. Before, I used to just plug in numbers into a formula without understanding what it really was that I was doing. Most textbooks will give you 2-3 pages of problems in a section and you will have to mechanically solve them. This book is different because it not only teaches you the how, but the why as well. The word problems are interesting and help solidify your understanding of the material.

This book will work best when supplemented with lots of practise problems. If you don't have a good textbook and solution manual, use something like Schaum's Solved Problems in Calculus. Like the authors say, the best way to study is by doing problems. Read the relevant section(s) in this book for understanding and then follow up with several related problems.

I would highly recommend this book if you need to review calc, are currently struggling with it, or plan on taking it soon. You'll also find it enjoyable reading it just for the heck of it. Right now I'm using "How To Ace The Rest of Calculus" in my Calc III course and it's remarkable how it makes seemingly complex topics look so simple.

I would give this book gazillion stars ...!

I used to this book to pass first quarter of calculus.

True story, yesterday, which is the first day of winter quarter at my school, after doing my assigned homework of reading two sections of my Calculus textbook on integrals, I was about to drop the class and quit math. Took me 3 hours to read 10 pages of the textbook and all I got out of the textbook was "HUH!?"

Not wanting to wait in line to drop class, I read the chapter on intergrals from HOW TO ACE CALCULUS and immidiately I was "OH!!!". This book really make me not wanting to go back read anything from big caculus books that weight like a brick.

GET THIS BOOK! Even if you end up dropping calculus, you can still read this book for fun. Because this is actually FUNNY!