Customer Reviews

Sets, Functions, and Logic: A Foundation Course in Mathematics, Second Edition

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

 

 

Seems pretty darn expensive for only 160 pages. That comes out to over $0.30/page! I like Devlin's popular mathematics books but this one doesn't justify that kind of money.

Devlin should have titled his rotten book something like; "If you are a student, then I am purposefully trying to make your life thoroughly miserable". I am using this book right now in a proofs class. Proofs is pretty abstract material for a lot of people (myself included). The first big problem is that there is no odd answers in the back of the book. Devlin's rationale for this is that when a mathematician is proving things, the book usually has not even been written yet. Well, that is all well and good for professional proof-writers. For a student who is being introduced to the material for the VERY FIRST TIME however, some kind of a guide letting him or her know how to actually do something would be really great. Does this clown really think that I am drumming up never before considered proofs after sixteen weeks of proof writing? What a jerk!

This is further compounded by Devlin' tendency to ask questions that do not in any way reflect the material he has just written about in previous pages. Also, in the previous few pages there is a glaring lack to clarity which lends itself EASILY to total confusion for a novice proof writer.

If you are a professor looking to use this book. Please, for the love of God and out of concern for your students...find a book that actually addresses the material you are teaching, and not this chunk of mucous.

I paid half of what I could have paid for it if I bought it at our school bookstore. Thanks for the savings.

This book is good for concise information, but is very pricey for its contents. My advice is find a better book.