Multivariable Calculus (6th Edition) [Paperback]

C. Henry Edwards (Author), David E. Penney (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130339679 | ISBN-13: 978-0130339676 | Publication Date: May 31, 2002 | Edition: 6

This book combines traditional mainstream calculus with the most flexible approach to new ideas and calculator/computer technology. It contains superb problem sets and a fresh conceptual emphasis flavored by new technological possibilities. Chapter topics cover polar coordinates and parametric curves, infinite series; vectors and matrices, curves and surfaces in space, partial differentiation, multiple integrals, and vector calculus. For individuals interested in the study of calculus.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book combines traditional mainstream calculus with the most flexible approach to new ideas and calculator/computer technology. It contains superb problem sets and a fresh conceptual emphasis flavored by new technological possibilities. Chapter topics cover polar coordinates and parametric curves, infinite series; vectors and matrices, curves and surfaces in space, partial differentiation, multiple integrals, and vector calculus. For individuals interested in the study of calculus.

About the Author

C. Henry Edwards is emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Georgia. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee in 1960, and recently retired after 40 years of classroom teaching (including calculus or differential equations almost every term) at the universities of Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Georgia, with a brief interlude at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) as an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. He has received numerous teaching awards, including the University of Georgia's honoratus medal in 1983 (for sustained excellence in honors teaching), its Josiah Meigs award in 1991 (the institution's highest award for teaching), and the 1997 statewide Georgia Regents award for research university faculty teaching excellence. His scholarly career has ranged from research and dissertation direction in topology to the history of mathematics to computing and technology in the teaching and applications of mathematics. In addition to being author or co-author of calculus, advanced calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations textbooks, he is well-known to calculus instructors as author of The Historical Development of the Calculus (Springer-Verlag, 1979). During the 1990s he served as a principal investigator on three NSF-supported projects: (1) A school mathematics project including Maple for beginning algebra students, (2) A Calculus-with-Mathematica program, and (3) A MATLAB-based computer lab project for numerical analysis and differential equations students.

David E. Penney, University of Georgia, completed his Ph.D. at Tulane University in 1965 (under the direction of Prof. L. Bruce Treybig) while teaching at the University of New Orleans. Earlier he had worked in experimental biophysics at Tulane University and the Veteran's Administration Hospital in New Orleans under the direction of Robert Dixon McAfee, where Dr. McAfee's research team's primary focus was on the active transport of sodium ions by biological membranes. Penney's primary contribution here was the development of a mathematical model (using simultaneous ordinary differential equations) for the metabolic phenomena regulating such transport, with potential future applications in kidney physiology, management of hypertension, and treatment of congestive heart failure. He also designed and constructed servomechanisms for the accurate monitoring of ion transport, a phenomenon involving the measurement of potentials in microvolts at impedances of millions of megohms. Penney began teaching calculus at Tulane in 1957 and taught that course almost every term with enthusiasm and distinction until his retirement at the end of the last millennium. During his tenure at the University of Georgia he received numerous University-wide teaching awards as well as directing several doctoral dissertations and seven undergraduate research projects. He is the author of research papers in number theory and topology and is the author or co-author of textbooks on calculus, computer programming, differential equations, linear algebra, and liberal arts mathematics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 529 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 6 edition (May 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130339679
• ISBN-13: 978-0130339676
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I don't understand why so many people like this book, February 25, 2009

By 

Michael G. (Claremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Multivariable Calculus (6th Edition) (Paperback)

Edwards and Penney is the perfect example of a calculus book that does everything wrong. The text is heavy-handed, blustering out expositions that stretch for mathematical rigor but always fall short. I'm amazed at how well it manages to not convey the main ideas of a section at the same time it manages to not convey how one would derive the results more rigorously. The result is that students who read end up intimidated by the introduction to many sections rather than educated.

Beyond the pseudo-rigor of the introductions, the examples and problems are generally well thought-out and challenging. Unfortunately, many of the problems are challenging for the wrong reasons. Instructors who are not careful will frustrate students with questions that do not primarily serve to reinforce the ideas of a section.

And a final, small criticism: The notation used in this book for vector calculus is barbarous. There are so many better conventions that serve as reminders of what to do rather than mostly arbitrary letters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very decent textbook, December 13, 2009

By 

D. Liu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Multivariable Calculus (6th Edition) (Paperback)

I find this to be an excellent textbook. It might be lacking in terms of theoretical analysis and proof but for students who are looking to learn how to do the questions, it is an excellent source. The questions gradually increase in difficulty and it is easy to develop a certain level of ease with the subject of multivariable calculus, which is perhaps not always intuitive or obvious.

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible, unclear examples, skips steps, confusing, November 9, 2011

By 

Y - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Multivariable Calculus (6th Edition) (Paperback)

This is a horrible textbook, especially for an intro calculus class. Explanations are overly blustery and theoretical. The examples skip many steps and are unable to be applied to many of the problems. I had better luck googling the topics and learning from other, more concise explanations of the subject matter.