Explain this
Calculus: How Calculus Works
How the publisher describes it:
“Who else want to be successful in mathematics? Calculus often causes panic in students, but with this book, that soon can be a thing of the past. Full of clear explanations and written by a highly experienced and sympathetic teacher with many years of experience in preparing students for advanced mathematics examinations, this is a definite must-have book for all students studying mathematics.”
Review by Peter Simmonds
In brief:
Christine Tootill has obviously drawn on her experience of teaching this subject, and knows how to guide students to a secure understanding. She’s refreshed my jaded palate. Newton and Leibniz would (probably) agree!
“How satisfying it can be when you study an interesting subject”
Key features of this little book (as well as its unintimidating conciseness) are its clarity and user-friendliness. If you are meeting calculus for the first time, or needing confidence after a shaky start, then in my opinion all you will need is this book, and the time to let it do its work.
Calculus itself is an elegant and powerful tool - famously, Sir Isaac Newton and the German mathematician Leibniz practically came to blows over it, each claiming to be the originator. My first meeting with it as a student persuaded me that maths was more interesting than mere number-crunching. Maths could be cool. Yes, really! My first step on the road whereby I ended up teaching maths.
This book reminds me just how satisfying it can be when you study an interesting subject, clearly and logically taught, and end up with confidence and understanding. The scope of the book runs from the basic idea of rates of change through graphical work, gradient functions, differentiation and integration, and their application.
It will be found particularly useful by AS and A2 students (and indeed, by teachers valuing a clear, well thought out, step-by-step approach to the subject). Each chapter (thirteen in all) takes a well-defined topic and begins usefully with a one-minute summary of its scope. The body of the chapter has text supported by examples and practice questions. Each chapter ends with progress questions for reinforcement, a practical assignment and a suggestion for seminar discussion, concluding with a study tip drawing the student?s attention to a key aspect of the chapter. This repeated structure becomes familiar and reassuring for the student and allows the author to anticipate sticking points, flag up key elements and, in the practical activities, to show how calculus actually works so effectively when applied. A particularly useful back-up feature of the book is a substantial appendix which identifies and revises the foundation skills necessary to tackle the elements of calculus taught in the body of the work (algebra, powers, co-ordinate geometry). Students are referred to this as appropriate.
Support is also given in the form of a glossary of terms and a list of helpful websites. The text is supported too by the use of diagrams. I wondered at first whether there should be more of these - but in fact this would have bulked out a book which remains concise and friendly, but contains sufficient explanation of the ideas involved.
Christine Tootill has obviously drawn on her experience of teaching this subject, and knows how to guide students to a secure understanding. She’s refreshed my jaded palate. Newton and Leibniz would (probably) agree!
Peter Simmonds • Former Maths teacher, Mayfield School, Hampshire
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Studymates Ltd; Ill edition (14 Feb 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1842850792
ISBN-13: 978-1842850794
Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.4 x 1.2 cm
