Quick Calculus: A Self-Teaching Guide, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author), Norman Ramsey (Author) "In this chapter the plan of the book is explained, and some elementary mathematical concepts are reviewed..." (more)
Key Phrases: try this problem, differential notation, function whose derivative, Some Applications of Integration (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Quick Calculus 2nd Edition A Self-Teaching Guide Calculus is essential for understanding subjects ranging from physics and chemistry to economics and ecology. Nevertheless, countless students and others who need quantitative skills limit their futures by avoiding this subject like the plague. Maybe that’s why the first edition of this self-teaching guide sold over 250,000 copies. Quick Calculus, Second Edition continues to teach the elementary techniques of differential and integral calculus quickly and painlessly. Your "calculus anxiety" will rapidly disappear as you work at your own pace on a series of carefully selected work problems. Each correct answer to a work problem leads to new material, while an incorrect response is followed by additional explanations and reviews. This updated edition incorporates the use of calculators and features more applications and examples. "…makes it possible for a person to delve into the mystery of calculus without being mystified." —Physics Teacher

From the Publisher

A self-instructional guide for students who need additional help with calculus, or working professionals who need to brush up on the fundamentals. Uses a unique insured learning format that lets readers work at their own pace, with frequent reviews, quizzes, examples, exercises, and problems with answers. Treats the elementary techniques of differential and integral calculus with a preliminary review of algebra and trigonometry. Emphasizes technique and application. Includes many numerical exercises on the pocket calculator and microcomputer.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 2nd edition (October 28, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471827223
• ISBN-13: 978-0471827221
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,413 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to offer a good working knowledge quickly, September 26, 2002

By	Robert Farrell (MA USA) - See all my reviews

I picked up this book as a supplement for getting a better understanding of the math for a computer algorithms analysis course. The course relys heavily on an understanding of calculus to analyze growth rates of functions and function derivitives but it didn't go into a lot of depth of why the math works giving derivations, etc. It mostly assumed that the reader had already been exposed to calculus and was only offering a refresher. I've already read through half of the book and while there are some errors in the text, there isn't anything that can't be reconciled.

The book uses programmed learning so you can systematically skip in depth explainations of practice problems if you don't need them. The two main branches of calculus are covered: differential and integral. The material is initially introduced informally and uses graphical explanations (when possible) that really help the material sink in faster. After the main themes are explained, the material is formally defined and offers derivations in the appendices for those who are interested in them. I've found this method helps to distill the purpose of the calculus from the complexity of the equations and terminology.

There is a refresher for graphing linear equations, essential trigonometry, and exponentials/logarithms. The material is given adequate explaination in order "make the jump" to the key concepts of calculus. I've found the text easy to read both in terms of the author's teaching style as well as having crisp text with a large font. A full chapter, designed as an in depth review of both branches of calculus, is included to solidify your understanding of the material as well as offer a context of applying calculus to real world problems. The appendix also has an introduction on some advanced topics of calculus (that I havn't gotten to yet). A caveat is that when you start to work out the practice problems, if you are rusty with algebra you'll probably need a reference for reviewing the basics of factoring, racicals, and manipulating negative/fractional exponents, etc. The algebra is a little light in this respect when equations are solved step by step. The book assumes you have a good working knowledge of algebra and solving/manipulating equations. I found myself having to quickly review how to manipulate radicals and review the eponentation rules.

All in all I am extremely pleased with the text. It's very concise, well thought-out, with an incremental learning slope that is not too steep, offers meaningful exercises that reinforce an understanding of the material, and uncovers the mystique of calculus with intuitive explainations and repetition of key concepts (in key places) to help you retain the material faster.

45 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too many errors!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

Unfortunately, I found this book (2nd edition) to be full of errors, which is quite frustrating when you are learning (or re-learning) the subject matter. It appears as if the book was not edited thoroughly. As an example, the formula for the quotient rule of differention given on page 102 is distinctly different from the same rule given just five pages later on page 107. Many other examples exist.

Calculus is hard enough as it is--I can't recommend this book to others until the multiple mistakes are corrected.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick fix for mathphobes, November 19, 2005

By	Jay Gregg "Geology professor" (Stillwater, OK USA) - See all my reviews

I used the 1st edition of this book to prepare myself to take courses in chemical thermodynamics, kinetics and electrochemistry in 1979 after I began my Ph.D. program in Geology at Michigan State University. I had taken one college course in calculus eight years prior and did not perform well. The book is well named, I was "quickly" up to a level where I had no problem with the math in physical chemistry, and I did quite well in these courses. I found myself wondering why calculus had been so "hard" as an undergraduate as it certainly was not presented in a difficult manner in "Quick Calculus". Now, many years later with 6 years in industry and more than 17 years experience teaching at the university level, I am of the opinion that most math faculty in universities simply are very poor teachers of mathematics. It is significant that the authors of this fine book are both physicists (one a Noble Prize winner). This is as it should be because the calculus was invented, more than 300 years ago, specifically to solve very applied problems in the physical sciences. I would not expect such a book as "Quick Calculus" from a pure mathematician. I have recommended the book to numerous students who needed a review of calculus, or who, like me, failed to learn it the first time in their university courses. In fact I just recommended it to a student today and was checking to see if the book was available at Amazon, and decided to write this review.