Customer Reviews

Single Variable CALCULUS Early Transcendentals (Instructor's Edition)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I'm not impressed with this book as a learning guide. As others have said, you can't learn calculus on your own with this book and I can assure you they are correct with that claim. You'll definitely need a person with a thorough knowledge of calculus to answer every problem you encounter and trust me, you're going to encounter A LOT with this book! The example problems do very little with helping to solve the assignment problems. In fact, the example problems are as good as useless to me because the author doesn't EXPLAIN how they're solved. He just solves them and you have to figure out how he's doing it! It's so frustrating. As a student, there's nothing more discouraging than not being able to understand how to work your way through a problem and that's where this author fails. Rather than building your confidence and starting easy and gradually making the problems more difficult, you're just thrown into the meat grinder of calculus and expected to spend X amount of time deciphering gibberish formulas and trying to piece them into place in hopes that you've correctly applied it to the assignment problem. Every single problem I've worked through I've had to look in the answer section only to find out my answer as wrong and re-work the problem again and again to solve it. If your school uses this book (ie: you're forced into using this book), then I HIGHLY recommend you get the solutions manual and any other text such as a 'Dummies' book to accompany this one because it's going to be hard to learn calculus with this book alone.

Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. If you're not required to buy it, then don't!

Many of the practice exercises are not even remotely covered by one of the examples in the chapter. While this can be an interesting challenge, it more often than not causes frustration and impedes learning the material. This textbook isn't a suitable substitute for even an awful teacher.

I'm a freshman and this book is used for my Calculus class and it is probably the worst thing to "learn" calculus from. The examples in this book are in no way supportive of the problems. The problems at the end of each chapter are pretty difficult and the examples do not help. There is little explanation as to how to solve the problems and does not help build a solid foundation of fundamental ideas. The book is horrible in theory and application. I really want to write a letter to Stewart telling him how bad of a book it really is. Please do not try to purchase this book. It is not sufficient at all to learn calculus from.

I'm in the 2nd semester of Calculus with this textbook, and I am so continually frustrated and angered by the poor manner in which Stewart explains himself that I felt compelled to write this review to warn others. The professors apparently love it, but the students that I know hate it for the reason I just cited. The other reviewers have said much the same thing, and I wholeheartedly agree.

I have used other math textbooks in earlier Algebra that were so easy to use, you almost don't even need a professor; you can just read the book and do the lessons. I believe that is the way a REAL textbook on a math subject should be: focused on the needs of the student who hasn't been studying math for 20+ years (like the author) and needs basic steps explained so that they don't spend endless hours trying to connect the dots when it should have been laid out for them.

Even worse, I found, was the so-called Answer Book for this textbook. I paid >$50 for it, expecting to receive "the answers" to the problems. Instead, I received the "end of the answer" along with the same frustrating step-jumping explanation which many times did more to hurt than to help. I feel that if I have paid good money for the answers, that is exactly what I should get: ALL of the answer, including EVERY step and information needed to help me understand how he arrived at the answer. That was not given, so I definitely feel cheated in this purchase.

As others have noted, if one needs a Calculus refresher book, this is a good one for that purpose; but it is a poor textbook for new Calculus students, even for those with strong math skills, IMO.

Professors and College textbook purchasers: stay away from this book at all costs!!! Please, for the sake of your students. There are other Calculus textbooks which will work much better for your students.

You know they just keep putting the author's credentials as if he is some math god who knows how to teach calculus. I had the earlier editions of this book and I will tell you it stinks. The textbook stinks, and the solutions manual stinks. His books are not user friendly and they seem to have a condenscending tone to the book for students who may not be crafty in mathematics as other students are.

In all this book is too advanced. Take it from me, I'm in a professional health school and I'm no dummy. This book is terrible. The publishers change the cover, and try to make a newer edition, thinking there are improvements. Don't let that cosmetic garbage fool you. I really think nothing changed with this book.

Teachers, if you want a good calculus textbook, I STRONGLY SUGGEST Calculus by Ron Larsen. Larsen's calculus textbook is good because the student can actually go home, pratice and learn calculus. A student, can't pratice calculus if he can't understand the textbook. If you want your students to pratice calculus, get a user friendly calculus textbook such as Larsen's Calculus. Stewarts, garbage textbook will only frustrate the student and you teachers will be wondering why the student is not doing will on the exams you give them. With a condescending, and unuser friendly textbook such as Stewart's Calculus, the student will lose all interst in the subject. And I know teachers don't want thier students to lose interest in a subject because the textbook is bad. Believe me, get Stewart's Calculus and watch the failing grades in your class skyrocket.

In all Stewart's Calculus is a terrible, terrible....TERRIBLE book.

I am currently a freshman in college just finishing a calculus course, and throughout the whole semester i have been given homework assignments supposedly "based on readings in the book." Every homework assignment has resulted in a severe headache due to countless hours spent on solving problems that are so many levels above what the chapters actually explain. There are problems at the end of each chapter based on its teachings, but so many of them require knowledge of irrelevant identities never taught throughout the book. The fact that I had a good teacher for that class is the only reason why I got an A, because this textbook is a miserable labyrinth of assumptions and vague teachings. I am starting to believe that the only reason universities support this book is because of its online homework system.

The reviews speek for themselves. Half the 5 star reviews were comments on used book purchases and not the content. If they had 0 stars, that's what I'd pick.

Most universities use this book because it's what the department head used when he went though college or as a PhD it looks the best to him/her. They don't take into consideration that it is useless as a teaching tool or homework tool....maybe. It is awful even though tones of schools use it. I had a 97% in class till we hit section 11 and this book is horrible in this section. An example is that the problems in one section will have to do more with the stuff learned in the previous section then they do with what was taught in that session so it gets confusing. It goes so far as to be flat out wrong in some of its theorems like the Alternating Series Test. It's bad when the professor has to say that the book doesn't really mean what it flat out says several times in the section. It even contradicts itself in the homework problems. These aren't typos, it's just wrong in many areas in this section. It's like Stewart got tired of writing and caring that what he was writing made sense and figured no one would get that far in the book anyway. (half the time he's right)

Anyway, in every calc class I've taken with this book over half the class dropped, I've got an A so I'm not reviewing this on how I did, but on how poor the book is. Larsons Calc book is BY FAR a better calc book and every professor I've had including those who are forced to use Stewarts agree with that assessment.

Avoid any school using this text book. Who would use a book with so many poor reviews? I think someone should research the drop rate of schools using this book and those using others. To cover that material schools are asking kids to cover requires a good book to aid in learning the material. Larsons book does that, Stewards is a paper weight and a waste of money!

If you don't have a choice then good luck. As a first year calc student this books leaves me wondering the heck is going on. Doesn't explain things very well and inconsistencies everywhere. My school obviously didn't research other textbooks for Calc. If possible avoid this textbook, you're better off utilizing youtube. I'm so upset at this book I'm taking the time to put up a negative review.

This book is the one I am currently using in my calculus class. It's a nice book, but to give it another characteristic, it's quite bipolar and you can tell that teaching was not the author's strong point.

- This book is written about calculus in the mechanical sense. So yes, there are a lot of proofs. Most of these proofs are quite arcane, when it would be more useful to fill those spaces with more examples to help teach the subject. The proofs aren't needed on tests either, which jeopardizes student's chances of success in more rigorous calculus classes.

- The explanations of some topics are vague, and the clarity of the explanations of each topic lack consistency. You can tell this author is more experienced at explaining derivatives than limits, as Chapter 3 was his strong point where there was a lot lacking from Chapter 2.

- I say this book is bipolar b/c it is jumpy. It goes from one topic to an unrelated topic at some points.

It would have been more useful if hyperbolic functions were introduced much earlier than chapter 3, in say chapter one when we were learning about functions. Instead it introduces the concept in Chapter 3, right in the middle of derivatives as almost a sidestep to the train of thought he was already creating.

- He explains his explanations a lot using the phrase 'so we have: [insert simplification of mathematical formula here]'

It would be much more useful if he wasn't skipping steps. This would never confuse a math major, but a first year calculus student is bound to run into the problem of 'how did he simplify that?'. This problem especially comes with related rates... as the author's explanation of how to solve these things is quite choppy.

- In the long run, I would be wary of this book at all costs. I recommend a supplement book, particularly an older calculus book which will explain the proofs and methods far better than the new (it seems like these new textbooks are geared towards classroom instruction rather than being self-taught). The best calc book stress the idea that calc really isn't that bad of a subject and can be fun, provided it isn't made to look hard or the opposite. Something is only as hard as you make it or believe it to be.

Nonetheless, this text is popular. Because it ties you in with the lecture hall... which is why professors probably prefer this more than some other calculus book that allows you to sit outside of class and read and learn calc successfully.

In the situation where my class is taught by a TA, this text is useless. I recommend learning calc through another book and trying to go back and tackle the practice problems in this one with what you've learned. The variety of problems in this book makes it a plus for somebody who wants to really get a deep understanding of the material.

This book is so condescending, it jumps from point A to B without actually explaining the reasoning. Many of the diagrams are presented in a way that is hard to understand. I'm a freshmen in College and I usually don't have this much trouble in math. However, this book confuses me to the point that I use another textbook for actual learning! Thank god our teacher doesn't collect homework because the problems in the book goes from a low-level problems to a high level problems-like that! I had to do my homework from another textbook and I'm Acing the test now. A feat that would have been impossible using this textbook solely alone. If you want to learn, please consider buying another textbook!