Student Resource and Solutions Manual for Zill's A First Course in Differential Equations with Modeling Applications, 8th (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The writing style and level of exposition are exactly what they should be for our course…. The greatest strengths of the book are its organization, its clear explanations of material and its problem sets."

"I believe Zill writes very well. He seems to explain ideas and concepts with great clarity. He introduces new topics slowly and methodically so the student will grasp the idea as he/she reads along."



"Zill has a strong textbook: 1. He covers the important material in a depth suitable for a first course. 2. He writes well, is easy to read and understand. 3. He has a good mix of theory and application. As an engineering faculty teaching differential equations, I really appreciate the examples that show how differential equations arise and why they are useful things to study." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Provides reviews of important material from calculus, the solution of every third problem in each exercise set (with the exception of the Discussion/Project Problems and Computer Lab Assignments), relevant command syntax for the computer algebra systems Mathematica and Maple, lists of important concepts, as well as helpful hints on how to start certain problems.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 8 edition (December 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534418791
• ISBN-13: 978-0534418793
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #647,901 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good application oriented text., March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Course in Differential Equations with Modeling Applications (Hardcover)

I think before reading all other reviews of Zill's text, one must consider who did the 'panning'. Was it an instructor who used it to teach the class or a disgrunteled student who was unhappy about taking the class in the first place or unhappy with the grade received? This text is a little easier to read than most. It could be more thorough, but that would not be necessary for an undergraduate class. Professionally, I would prefer numerical methods come earlier, but I have no other criticism. I use it to teach DE and the good students all seem to like it while those who are failing would not like anything associated with the course. I don't necessarily cover the topics in the same order as the chapters are laid out, but the book is versatile enough that it doesn't cause any problems.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible Text, July 15, 2005

By	kathryndm - See all my reviews

This review is from: A First Course in Differential Equations with Modeling Applications (Hardcover)

This is the worst math text I have ever used. Not only does it not completely explain concepts, it also is very disorganized. Instead of further explaining concepts as they are brought up you are asked to see the "Remarks" section. The remarks section is a cluster of material that you must weed through to find the further explanation you are looking for.
For 98% of the material in the text I referenced Schaum's Outline for Differential Equations to get more clarity and an in-depth understanding of the material.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Keep looking, February 18, 2002

By	"mconner84" (CA,United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A First Course in Differential Equations with Modeling Applications (Hardcover)

I agree with the 1 stars.
I was "forced" to use this book for my Diff Eq class. Although the book is typset beautifully, the content fell very short. Zill begins each section with an inspired generalization. Then things fall apart rapidly. His explanations seem to be very lacking (and there isn't much in the way of examples!).

I'm an engineering major, not a theoretical math major, so this book and I didn't connect at ALL.

I have used other texts (Ross), which I much preferred over this "learning tool".