How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide

by Colin Adams, Abigail Thompson, Joel Hass

Overview

Written by three gifted—and funny—teachers, How to Ace Calculus provides humorous and readable explanations of the key topics of calculus without the technical details and fine print that would be found in a more formal text. Capturing the tone of students exchanging ideas among themselves, this unique guide also explains how calculus is taught, how to get the best teachers, what to study, and what is likely to be on exams—all the tricks of the trade that will make learning the material of first-semester calculus a piece of cake. Funny, irreverent, and flexible, How to Ace Calculus shows why learning calculus can be not only a mind-expanding experience but also fantastic fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780716731603
Publisher:	Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	07/15/1998
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.33(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Colin Adams is the Thomas T. Read Professor of Mathematics at Williams College, where he has taught since 1985. He has produced a number of books that make mathematics more accessible and relatable, including How to Ace Calculus and its sequel, How to Ace the Rest of Calculus; Riot at the Calc Exam and other Mathematically Bent Stories; and Zombies & Calculus. Colin co-wrote and appears in the videos "The Great Pi vs. E Debate" and "Derivative vs. Integral: the Final Smackdown."

Adams received his undergraduate degree from MIT and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. He had held various grants for research in the area of knot theory and low-dimensional topology and has published numerous research articles. He received the Haimo National Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) in 1998, and the Robert Foster Cherry Teaching Award in 2003. Adams also served as MAA Polya Lecturer (1998-2000), and as Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer (2000-2002).

Abigail Thompson is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California at Davis. She has held fellowships from the Sloan Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Joel Hass is Professor of Mathematics at the University of California at Davis. He has held fellowships from the Sloan Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Table of Contents

1. Polar Coordinates
a. Introduction
b. Areas in polar coordinates

2.Infinite Series
a. Sequences
b. Series
c. Tests for convergence
d. Taylor Series and Power Series

3.Vectors in Space
a. Vectors in the plane
b. Vectors in Space
c. Dot product
d. Cross product
e. Lines and Planes in Space

4. Curves and Surfaces
a. Parametric curves and motion
b. Graphing equations and functions
c. Cylinders and quadric surfaces
d. Cylindrical and spherical coordinates

5. Partial Differentiation
a. Limits
b. Partial derivatives
c. Max-min problems
d. Chain Rule
e. Directional derivatives and gradient
f. Lagrange multipliers
g. Second derivative test for functions of two variables

6. Multiple Integrals
a. Double integrals
b. Areas and volumes
c. Double integrals in polar coordinates
d. Applications
e. Triple integrals
f. Integrals in cylindrical and spherical coordinates
g. Surface area

7. Vector Calculus
a. Vector fields
b. Line integrals
c. Green's theorem
d. Surface Integrals
e. Divergence Theorem
f. Stokes Theorem

Editorial Reviews

Imagine calculus is a solid old house built on good foundations. When the time comes to sell it to a new owner, a lick of brightly colored, cheery paint can do wonders. This is what Adams, Hass, and Thompson have done in How to Ace Calculus.” —Keith Devlin, Dean, School of Science, St. Mary's College (CA), Senior Researcher, Stanford University, and author of The Language of Mathematics

“This is a marvelous, user-friendly introduction to the basic ideas of calculus. It is effective, humorous and eminently practical. The book that 100,000 calculus students have been searching for is finally here.” —Ron Graham, Chief Scientist, AT&T Labs, former President of the American Mathematical Society, and author of Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation of Computer Science

“Can a calculus book be lighthearted and engaging? Surprisingly, yes, and here is one that does the job.” —Thomas Banchoff, Professor of Mathematics, Brown University, President-Elect of the Mathematics Association of America, and author of Beyond the Third Dimension

“This book is dangerously clear, direct, and funny. It should be suppressed before it jeopardizes the time-tested function of the calculus sequence to befuddle and filter surplus students.” —William Thurston, Professor of Mathematics, University of California at Davis, Fields Medalist, and former Director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute

“Comic opera meets college math in this amusing and edifying roller coaster of an introduction to calculus.” —Ivars Peterson, author of The Mathematical Tourist

From the Publisher