|  | Author: Mark Ryan
Publisher: For Dummies
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $9.49
as of 11/23/2009 16:16 CST details
You Save: $10.50 (53%)
New (58) Used (81) from $9.49
Seller: kerlinebooks
Rating:  74 reviews
Sales Rank: 4680
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.4 x 1
ISBN: 0764524984
Dewey Decimal Number: 515
UPC: 785555861855
EAN: 9780764524981
ASIN: 0764524984
Publication Date: May 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 74
 It's Alright October 28, 2008
Katherine E. Strout (Boondocks, Maine)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've had a lot of trouble in the past with calculus and had to retake it again last semester in college. I bought this book along with the problem book, but it didn't help me as much as I thought it would. The language was the same as the calculus book I was using and wasn't as entertaining to read.
This book helped only because it gave me a different perspective on the material, but I was looking for something worded differently.
 AMAZING! October 4, 2008
MikeB
I am a college student who enrolled in calculus for the first time this semester. I had ordered this book prior to starting class but it had not arrived before our first meeting. I was really worried that I would not be able to understand the material after the first lecture. I read the text book and it still did not make much sense. About a week after class started, Calculus for Dummies arrives in the mail. WOW! Mark Ryan does such an amazing job of breaking difficult concepts into more than manageable pieces. And since math builds on itself, this book seems to follow so closely with my text book it is as if they were written for each other. I think one of the greatest advantages of this book is that in the very beginning Mark explains WHAT calculus is. What a novel concept! Realizing that calculus is primarily broken in to two sections, differentiation and integration, allowed me to get an idea of what lays ahead. And getting "math speak" explained in a plainer english format makes reading my textbook a breeze. I do recommend using this book as a supplement to your text book though...not as a substitute. Using it to aid the material that you are learning in class will increasing your understanding immensely. I'm proof of that. At this point, we've taken our first mid-term exam and I earned a 94%. Thanks Mark!
 Incorrect formulas September 11, 2008
Jennifer L. Stites
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Seriously? There's a "Cheat Sheet" in the front of the book I purchased and there are at least 3 formulas incorrect. I hope no student took this in for a cheat sheet on an exam. I'd be cautious in believing what this book says.
 not so dumb September 9, 2008
academy Bob (USA)
This book is great as a refresher and companion to college level calculus books. It may seem, due to the title, that this is for beginners, but it is an enormous help when you draw a blank on that calc. homework assignment. It is also great for a quick review just before a test.
When this book is used with the "Calculus for dummies workbook", it really enhances the standard issue calculus book and helps catch you up in a hurry.
If you need calculus help and your mentor/tutor is just not available, this resource is what you need.
Excellent for the non-math type of person August 30, 2008
d wilson (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My back-ground: 30+ year old with a BA in Philosophy currently studying comp engineering. The author writes this book for the non mathematician. Explanations of concepts are in plain english. What separates this book from the instructions in a typical text book is the clarity in which the author explains the PURPOSE of each technique and concept. For a non-math type reading the intro to a chapter in a typical text book it is easy to not follow the intent of the concepts involved. Therefore the rest of the chapter seems as if you're just doing more and more complex things, that you do not understand, with functions that have no meaning to you. Without understanding why you are doing what you are doing you will have trouble with the topics in calculus. An example is improper integrals. Without getting to a calculus lesson here if you do not understand what makes an integral improper then you will have trouble solving problems involving them. In general, text books use formal proofs to explain what an improper integral is and how to solve them. This is the case for all concepts in calculus text books. Proofs to show a problem, proofs to show a solution. In C4D the explanations are in simple english with clear descriptions for each step.
The only short comings of the book is that is does not contain problems to practice and it does not offer a very large cache of algebra tricks need for success. I did not find the lack of practice problems to be a serious drawback as practice problems are available from a number of other places e.g. text books, study guides, internet etc... Adding a section on algebra tips and tricks would have made this the best book ever but it is not fair to criticize this book for not having them as no book I have seen has one.
This book is definitely valuable to someone in need of calculus who is not very strong in math.
1) Clearly written explanations instead of mathematical proofs.
2) Tips for remembering how to use the ***load of calculus techniques.
3) Concise cheat-sheet (recommend memorizing it).
4) Covers Calc 1 and much of Calc 2.
5) Helpful in understanding concepts as textbooks (and far too many professors) fail at this.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 74
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