Calculus 1 Book: "Intuitive and Physical Approach" - Have You Used It?

[Stratosphere]

I have order: Calculus an Intuitive and Physical Approach, and It is due to arrive tomorrow. I had wanted to buy it because I wanted to learn some physics along with the calculus however now I am starting to think that maybe it was a bad choice since I was thinking that it wasn't a very good book, it might not explain things well or it won't teach me all of the calculus 1 that a pure calculus book would. Have any of you used this book before? I can always send it back and buy a pure calculus book.

P.S I am self teaching it.

 

[snipez90]

Instead of criticizing a book you have hardly read, you should probably stick with it for the first few chapters or so. If you don't have the patience to do that, you're not ready for a "pure" calculus book. If it is the morris kline book you are talking about, I very much doubt that it will fail to explain things poorly.

 

[jgens]

Assuming you're talking about Calculus an Intuitive and Physical Approach by Morris Kline, I think that the book should work wonderfully for self-teaching yourself. I spent a great deal of last summer self-teaching myself calculus from that book and, while I'm no calculus guru, I certainly understand and have a handle on the calculational aspects of calculus. The book usually tries to provide some measure of proof for any of the major theorems and techniques of calculus (though they are usually informal). Comparing Kline's text to a theory oriented text like Spivak's, Kline definitely doesn't discuss things to the same depth but this is usually alright for a first introduction to calculus. This is just my experience with the text.

 

[Stratosphere]

What does this book cover? Or calculus 1 and 2?

 

[Pinu7]

It has Calc I,2, and 3.

However, it doesn't have vector calculus(calc 4), which is essential to physics

 

[Stratosphere]

Do you happen to know were single variable calculus ends?

 

[thrill3rnit3]

Do you happen to know were single variable calculus ends?

It covers differentiation, integration, elementary differential equations, and series.

 

[Pinu7]

Do you happen to know were single variable calculus ends?

Before the chapter on "functions of several variables?"

 

[Stratosphere]

It has Calc I,2, and 3.

However, it doesn't have vector calculus(calc 4), which is essential to physics

There's no such thing as calc 4.

 

[thrill3rnit3]

There's no such thing as calc 4.

I think he meant vector calculus, which I don't see just browsing through its contents

Some offer vector calculus as a separate course (thus being Calc 4), or sometimes it is included in a Calculus 3 class.

 

[Pinu7]

You don't need much vector calculus for mechanics(albeit the line integral definition of work).

But electromagnetism is basically applied vector calculus.

Personally, I think it is just better to get a calculus only book. "Math for Physicists" books are usually watered down/hard to follow/lacks rigor. Get a standard calculus textbook and buy your physics book separately.

Suggestions-

Calculus
Calculus- Stewart (standard text is introductory calculus; probably recommended by 80% of PF)
Calculus: Early Transcendentals-Anton (I like this a bit better)


Introductory Physics
Physics for scientists and Engineers-Tipler (standard first year uni text; a very nice introduction to basic physics concepts and a basic introduction to "modern physics" needs basic concepts of calculus.)
An Introduction to Mechanics-Kleppner (Needs mastery of Calc 1&2. One of the more advanced undergraduate mechanics books. Highly recommended.)

 

[Stratosphere]

The book I'm reading: Calculus an Intuitive and Physical Approach, has a section for the analytical geometry of ellipse and hyperbola, will I need this?

 

[iamthegelo]

The book I'm reading: Calculus an Intuitive and Physical Approach, has a section for the analytical geometry of ellipse and hyperbola, will I need this?

Yes.