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Calculus

by: Michael Spivak
en

0914098896  9780914098898 

Calculus
By Michael Spivak




Summary: An excellent Analysis text
Rating: 5

I used this textbook for my Honors Calculus class during my first semester at Boston University, after getting a 5 on the AP Calculus BC test in high school. Before I took this class, I thought that I knew everything there was to know about the subject and was brilliant at mathematics - WRONG.
This text (and my professor) prepared me for my math major more than anything else I have ever encountered. It should be used in any honors calculus course as it is much more accessible than the Apostol text that most professors inflict on prospective math majors. The explanations and examples are the best I have seen in any mathematics text and the problems are thought-provoking. Ideally, any student using this book will have a professor kind enough to take the time to walk through solutions.
That being said, I would only recommend this (outside of college) for gifted high school students who want to understand the rigorous structure of Calculus. This book may not adequately prepare you for the AP Calculus tests , as they are mostly exercises that test the breadth of your problem-solving abilities and not the depth of your mathematical rigor.
In all honesty, I wish that all college mathematics textbooks intended for math majors were both as accessible and rigorous as this book.



Summary: Not for mindless symbol pushers
Rating: 4

If you are satisfied to carelessly move symbols around, without thinking critically about what you're doing (or actually knowing what you're talking about), this book ISN'T for you. You will hate it. The historical development and teaching of calculus is quite a mess, and I'm glad to see Spivak add some clarity and precision to the matter.



Summary: This is Not A Calculus Book
Rating: 5

This is the best text for theoretical calculus out there, meaning this is really a Real Analysis book. It teaches calculus as a development of mathematics itself. Great proofs and examples. Although some of the exercise are extremely hardcore but if you have the determination and stamina to do them then you will benefit greatly as if from a ware house of endless mathematical treasures.



Summary: Classic Calculus Text
Rating: 5

This is a great calculus text. This text was refered to me by two of my math professors and I don't regret spending the money. In my current calculus class we use the Courant classic, Introduction to Calculus and Analysis, and the Spivak text is supplementary. Although the material covered in the Spivak text is Calculus, the book is really more like an introductory analysis text. It does a great job covering single-variable calculus in a very systematic way, while proving almost all the concepts used along the way. If you're just looking for a book to get lots of additional practice problems to supplement another text, this is not the book for you. Although some of the problems are straight forward, many of the problems are insanely difficult and really stretch the mind. This being said, they are still great problems to attempt, and if you want some more help there is a solutions guide with answers and good beginings to many of the problems. My only regret is not buying this text sooner (during the summer before I became a slave to my large course load). If you really want to learn calculus and the proofs behind it, this is the book for you.



Summary: this is THE calculus book
Rating: 5

in a word, this book is awesome. if i were omnipotent, i would make it required reading for all beginning math majors. it is used in the honors calc course at my university, which i did not have the fortune of taking--but i have worked through the book in combination with ross's elementary analysis, all by way of preparation for tackling the wonderful baby rudin. and in that task i feel it has prepared me exceedingly well. i love just sitting down and reading this book on a rainy day, like spivak is right there talking to me. i love his quotes at the beginning of sections, and his suggested reading could easily provide years if not a lifetime of enjoyment and discovery. absolutely the best textbook i have ever read.