The Student's Introduction to MATHEMATICA ®: A Handbook for Precalculus, Calculus, and Linear Algebra [Paperback]

Bruce F. Torrence (Author), Eve A. Torrence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0521594618 | ISBN-13: 978-0521594615 | Edition: 1

Increasingly, educators are turning to Mathematica for instructing students in science and mathematics. The growing popularity of this exciting software package creates a need for undergraduate students to be familiar with its many functions and uses. The Student's Introduction to Mathematica® neatly follows a standard mathematics curriculum, allowing students to practice what they learn. The text lucidly presents those aspects of the software that are the most useful to students. Mathematica commands are introduced as a means of solving problems and illuminating the underlying mathematical principles. Following a brief introduction to the program, Bruce and Eve Torrence discuss functions and graphs, algebra, calculus, and multivariate calculus, and finish with a chapter on linear algebra. No prerequisites other than high school level mathematics are assumed. This work can be used in a variety of courses, from precalculus, through single and multi-variable calculus, to linear algebra. In addition to its course use, this book is an excellent tutorial for those wishing to learn Mathematica and brush up on their mathematics at the same time. The volume is compatible with Mathematica version 3 and higher.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book does a very good job of filling an important niche - giving mathematics students a thorough introduction to Mathematica without overwhelming them with the long manual."
Mathematics Teacher

"...a down-to-earth approach makes the book eminently readable and instructive...almost casually the reader learns how to make the program perform nearly any mathematical operation, from integration to finding eigenvalues or plotting intricate surfaces. A welcome book for anyone who needs to use Mathematica."
CHOICE

"Generally, the text is friendly and easy to follow...Overall, this is an approachable and helpful text that looks like it has been tested in the classroom."
Computing Reviews

Book Description

The use of Mathematica in university curricula has created a demand from undergraduate students who require a compact introduction to this exciting software package. In writing The Student's Introduction to Mathematica Bruce and Eve Torrence have supplied such a text. The unique feature of their book is that they present concepts in an order that closely follows a standard mathematics curriculum, rather than structure the book along features of the software. As a result, the book provides a brief introduction to those aspects of the Mathematica software program most useful to students. Furthermore, Mathematica commands are introduced as a means of solving problems and illuminating the underlying mathematical principles.The Student's Introduction to Mathematica can be used in variety of courses, from precalculus, through single and multi-variable calculus, to linear algebra.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (May 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521594618
• ISBN-13: 978-0521594615
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great First Step, December 1, 2006

By 

Nicholas Vence (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Student's Introduction to MATHEMATICA ®: A Handbook for Precalculus, Calculus, and Linear Algebra (Paperback)

This book is designed to jump start the reader's experience with Mathematica. Since people learn best by example, reviewing "basic" math examples (Algebra, Calculus, and Linear Algebra) provides a "painless" introduction to the new environment. This book is not intended to be complete in any sense. But it WILL make you feel comfortable with the daunting new interface of Mathematica.

This is the only Mathematica book that I have finished. It was a great introduction, and I still use as a reference.

If you are thinking about buying Mathematica--DON'T get it without some introductory book. This one as a good start.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent introduction, October 15, 2009

By 

paul jordan (los angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Student's Introduction to MATHEMATICA ®: A Handbook for Precalculus, Calculus, and Linear Algebra (Paperback)

I read through this quickly today and found it very informative, if alittle short
on 'wow' factor. Learning Mathmatica depends on gaining a command of its
quirky syntax and i thought the author did a good job of guiding the reader through
an interesting array of examples in precalc, calc and lin alg, nicely driving home
various syntax issues in multiple contexts. Graphing and Manipulate functions get
special attention. The threshold issue on help books is "is this better than the
documentation". The answer is a decided yes. I might have wished for some extended
problem examples--like newton's method, or pendelum problem--that lend themselves
to the mathmatica notebook format. Minus one star for an unsatisfactory introduction
to wolfram programming. Overall--a very readable and likable presentation of an
exciting software. Addendum: added back a star after visiting the website and
downloading the reference notebooks--an awesome collection of syntax.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent student introduction, June 3, 2011

By 

Aron - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Student's Introduction to MATHEMATICA ®: A Handbook for Precalculus, Calculus, and Linear Algebra (Paperback)

I purchased Mathematica v. 8 as an adjunct to my college courses and was finding the included material to be, while thorough, lacking in actual application. I was also unable to shell out for their seminars so, I bought this book which has proved very helpful. It gives a general introduction to Mathematica and it's use using immediately applicable examples and follows by covering areas that are studied in a typical university progression: Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Linear Algebra and Matrices, etc. I find myself referencing it just because the examples are very complete. Also included are end-of-chapter exercises to enhance learning (it was written by a professor targeted to a student after all).