Customer Reviews

Journey Through Calculus: Boxed Version (Mathematics Series)

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

 

 

I'm taking first year Calculus at a local University. When i started I had no idea what was going on because i never took Calculus in highschool. Our prof introduced us to JTC and i ended up getting an A in the course. Here's why: JTC is highly visual and interactive with a nice blend of 3D animation. A variety of problems and solutions help you understad what you're doing, and more importantly what it's used for. Put it together and you get a deeper understanding of the subject. This is a first addition so there are a few bugs that still need to be worked out. But no major one's that I've found. Overall, this is an excellent peice of software and i highly recommend it to anyone taking or teaching Calculus.

If you're using the James Stewart Early Transcendentals textbook and you're COMPLETELY lost, you MAY find this CD ROM helpful. However, just about everyone else will find this product to be a complete waste of time and maybe even insulting. The description given (by Amazon) is so misleading that it's nearly dishonest. Do not waste your money on this; the Internet has plenty of free web sites where you'll find much better help at understanding calculus.

Only the most basic, introductory concepts are covered. As the textbook begins to probe a concept more deeply and the material becomes challenging, you'll find that there is no companion material on the CD ROM.

Where this becomes particularly insulting is in the way this remedial material is presented. It's literally childlike, on the level of a 10-year-old boy. These are actual descriptions from the box: "Basketball-playing robot and friendly Mars Rover take you through an explanation of derivatives-"; With the help of a colorful hot-air balloon, the greedy landlord..."; "A greedy boss and a skateboarding robot help you master the concept of area." Nothing like this appears in the product description on Amazon and nothing in the Stewart textbook leads you to believe you're purchasing a $... kid's cartoon. If you're taking college calculus you're way past this level of intellect and you don't deserve to be ripped off and insulted!

I challenge the publisher to refute my statements or at least use the above product descriptions, from the box, as the product description here on Amazon. Amazon, you're a good company and you shouldn't associate with this product.

I took first year university calculus twice. Thanks to this software, I didn't have to take it a third time. I have a learning disability and being able to listen while I read a problem and then see an animation to further explain the concept really helped me to understand the material.

I am an adult student and it had been a long time since I did high school math. Yes, the animated characters are "juvenille" but I'm in my 30's and was still able to learn from them.

I would recommend this to ANYONE who is struggling to grasp the basic concepts of calculus: derivatives and integrals.

Majoring in Mathmatics, taking online course, so I'm mostly having to teach myself, I have ordered several books to suppliment what is in my class books. This one was most definately not worth the money. Instead of an aid to help me visualize calculus, it was a bunch of showy animations.

I have a two year degree in Physics and just purchased the book and opened to the section explaining the definition of a limit. The price of the entire book, is worth these few pages because sadly enough, I never truly understood the technical definition of a limit, as the majority of people do not. I can honestly say, that it is truly an exhilarating experience, to unlock something that was hidden for a life time. I plan to return to school and hope to obtain a Meteorology Degree and this book will help me prepare for this. I am retiring from my job, at the age of 46 and feel a little more confident and with faith that maybe this can be accomplished by starting with this book. I apologize for the grammar and that is one of the reason I prefer math.

I am a high school AP Calculus teacher, and I have used this software for 3 years. I have changed schools and am looking to purchase a new copy for my new school. I read one other review that slammed this software, and that is why I am writing my own review. The product is what it is. It was never intended to challenge a calculus professor; it was made to help a beginning high school or college student grasp the basic concepts of calculus, something that not everyone finds easy. This product does a wonderful job of helping students "see" the concept and why it might be needed in the first place. I highly recommend this software for anyone who needs to understand the basics. If you are already beyond that, then I agree, this product is not for you.