quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
there are several good calculus books that you can probably get out there on the black market (eBay) cheap

Calculus and Analytical Geometry - Earl W Swokowski

Differential Equations by Dennis Zill

Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Wylie and Barrett

Calculus and Analytic Geometry by Donald Trim

out of the above, I believe the best one to start with would be Trim, then Zill and then if you're still sane work through Swokowski

just remember....

its called calculus, but really everything is variations on multiplication and division with a few new rules tossed in

for a lot of excitement and when you're bored, you can always try tensor mathematics and LaPlace transforms

My Calculus Book was Swokowski. Good book.

This is the book I learned Tensor algebra and calculus from, Tensors, differential forms, and variational principles, by David Lovelock & Hano Rund (Free Download)

I ususally stay away from LaPlace Transforms, because everytime I do one, I lose my Place.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:
Thanks, I'm still a bit in disbelief that they teach Calc in the 11th grade high school

We had it as Seniors back in the dark ages.

I was kind of expected to take it(three previous brothers all took it and got As), so I did. I struggled greatly and it made no sense to me whatsoever. My next oldest brother, an ME major, came home for Thanksgiving that year and we sat down at the dining room table. In about an hour he made sense of it for me. I cruised the rest of the year and got an A.

Thirty five years later, I wouldn't know an integral from a summation, but at the time I was pretty proud of myself.

thats funny Gus

you do know that an integral is a sum

and that the integral symbol is an elongated script S



you knew that right

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:

you knew that right

There was a time that I did.

I was going to take a calc classes (not required but as an elective) just for fun as I had had the Prof for the calc class for three other classes. He was fun PLUS I learned a lot. However, he only taught the class during the summer (1st negative as I did not want to take any classes during the summer) and lucky for me while at the library someone who sat down next to me had a calc book. So I asked a couple of questions about the class. The second and most important negative was that the text book (in the appendix section) had four-six pages of formulas. The student told me that all the formulas had to be memorized as there was no open book test. Finally the third negative was where would I ever use or need this information in real life. No calc for me!

Just finishing a refresher on trig. I sped through it and seemed like I'd been there and done that. I'm almost ready to see if I can get on the "big boy" ride. It's weird that I just want to see if I have the smarts to understand the calc stuff. Chances are better then average that I can't handle the "big boy" ride Everyone is telling me I'm nuts for doing this. We'll see. It aint going to be easy for a guy that just did homework and never understood the underlying concepts. Oh, he's 60 years old too

never too old to learn

for example I just learned I don't like the medium salsa on my tacos...

I took calculus three times. The third time, the teacher showed the easy way to do derivatives.

IIRC, you take the exponent and drop it down as a multiplier to the equation, then subtract 1 from the original exponent.

I assume you get all the theoretical intentions of what calculus does.

I don't think trig or any other lower math is a good preparation for calculus other than for learning the lower math itself.

More precisely THE Calculus when referring to the Newton/Leibniz variety, as was beaten into me as a small child with a lap board in the chapel....