Calculus the Easy Way (Paperback)

~ Douglas Downing Ph.D. (Author) "The storm struck my ship with devastating suddenness..." (more)
Key Phrases: Main Conference Room, Magic Crystal Water, Function Derivative (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This ingenious, user-friendly introduction to calculus recounts adventures that take place in the mythical land of Carmorra. As the story's narrator meets Carmorra's citizens, they confront a series of practical problems, and their method of working out solutions employs calculus. As readers follow their adventures, they are introduced to calculating derivatives; finding maximum and minimum points with derivatives; determining derivatives of trigonometric functions; discovering and using integrals; working with logarithms, exponential functions, vectors, and Taylor series; using differential equations; and much more. This introduction to calculus presents exercises at the end of each chapter and gives their answers at the back of the book. Step-by-step worksheets with answers are included in the chapters. Computers are used for numerical integration and other tasks. The book also includes graphs, charts, and whimsical line illustrations. Barron's Easy Way books introduce a variety of academic and practical subjects to students and general readers in clear, understandable language. Ideal as self-teaching manuals for readers interested in learning a new career-related skill, these books have also found widespread classroom use as supplementary texts and brush-up test-preparation guides. Subject heads and key phrases that need to be learned are set in a second color.

From the Inside Flap

(back cover)
ALL THE ESSENTIALS IN ONE CLEAR VOLUME
by Douglas Downing, Ph.D.

A user-friendly introduction to calculus in the form of a novel

Exercises with answers at the end of each chapter

Step-by-step worksheets

Graphs, charts, and line illustrations

Calculating derivatives

Finding maximum and minimum points with derivatives

Determining derivatives of trigonometric functions

Exponential functions, vectors, and Taylor series

Using differential equations

Much more

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 4 edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764129201
• ISBN-13: 978-0764129209
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #197,451 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Easy Way Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than it sounds, August 27, 2006

By	J. Umbach "zerrodefex" (Bartlett, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Forget the bad reviews, those people totally missed the point of this book. It is not meant to be a last minute study guide or answer every question about the hardest Calculus concepts. This is a book meant for those who just don't get it no matter how many times they read the stupid textbook, struggle through homework problems that barely resemble the textbook examples, and have a teacher who can't seem to explain things worth a damn.

This book does work. Yes, it is simplified, but it does a good job of giving you a foundation on which to build upon which you will need before you can tackle the truly hard stuff.

It is even better for those who are more interested in stories than textbooks examples that don't give you any sort of real use to the concepts. By building up in tiny steps the concepts suddenly become less daunting and a sense of fun goes a long way towards learning and understanding the subject.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by former scientist, October 20, 2006

By	Patrick D. Goonan "www.meaningful-life.us" (Pleasanton, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

My early formal education was in biology and later I attended graduate school for biochemistry. Along the way, I took classical physics, quantum physics and many other classes that required calculus. I was also a teaching fellow at a university and taught high school math, so I feel I can recognize a good text when I see one.

This particular book is unique in that it presents calculus within the context of a story and uses problems that come up in the storyline as teaching devices for important concepts. This makes the book very engaging and shows how calculus can be applied to different types of problems.

I also liked the balance betweeen theory and problem solving. In the past, I have found that some books focus on the theory and tell me more than I wanted to know. Others just threw problems at me without adequately explaining important theoretical concepts. I feel this book balances the two very nicely.

While it is true that this book does not contain a lot of advanced topics or develop theories as much as others, it does teach you the "must know" concepts quickly and gets you to understand how to apply what you learn. I'm glad I knew about it in graduate school, especially when I was studying physical chemistry. If I didn't, I'm sure it would have been a much more painful process.

Lastly, higher mathematics DOES NOT come very naturally to me. This was a helpful tool for someone like me and is likely to be for you if you are at all intimidated by difficult mathematical concepts.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book was my ticket back into math., September 18, 2001

By	etothelnx (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calculus the Easy Way (Paperback)

...I had taken two years of calculus about 15 years before I decided I wanted to know again what I had once known. My old calculus text book looked threatening so I went to a local bookstore to see what was available. To my surprise, I found "Calculus The Easy Way" by Downing. It was in story book form, with cartoons, and humor. Unlike many texts, before it explains a mathematical concept, it relates a practical need for it. "Calculus The Easy Way" hits the concepts lightly, while managing to be the most user friendly book on calculus that I have ever seen. However, I did not care for the section on volumes of revolution, or what little was included on related rates. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Outline Series "Calculus" does a much better job in these areas. But I was able to go to the latter due to having read the former. After perusing these two inexpensive paperbacks, hardcover calculus texts no longer appeared ferocious.
In "Calculus The Easy Way," you won't get much depth. I doubt that depth is one of the intended functions of the book. It may better be described as a tool by which to access the subject with the least amount of pain, and the greatest amount of pleasure. It helps you make a beachhead. If you want more, there are other books that will take you inland. As an additional resource, which is packed with examples, including detailed solutions, you might want REA's "Calculus Problem Solvers." Try not to be the captive of any one book because another book may explain a particular concept in a way that speaks more clearly to you. A used bookstore is an affordable source of many different treatments.
I once wrote to Professor Downing pleading that he write a second, more advanced calculus book, and use his considerable talent to render other esoteric subjects understandable. I don't recall having received a reply. But if you are seeing calculus for the first time, or if you want to review, you could hardly make a better, more enjoyable choice.