 2008-11-03 - Great book!
Calculus for Dummies
This book takes careful reading if you date back to the forties and second year high school algebra, but put some effort into it and you can certainly gain more than a little insight into the subject. It is well written, holds one's attention, and gives the reader a laugh now and then - a critical element in any book, in my view. I got this book to satisfy my own curiosity, and not for some technical or scholastic effort.
It works.
 2008-10-28 - It's Alright
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.
2008-10-04 - AMAZING!
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!
 2008-09-11 - Incorrect formulas
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.
 2008-09-09 - not so dumb
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.
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