Fundamentals of Differential Equations

by R. Kent Nagle, Arthur David Snider, Edward B. Saff

Book Overview

Fundamentals of Differential Equations presents the basic theory of differential equations and offers a variety of modern applications in science and engineering. Available in two versions, these... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321145720
• ISBN13: 9780321145727
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman
• Length: 8 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 8.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great condition

I got just what I expected in pretty good condition. It was definitely a bargain!

A very good textbook, just not quite right for me

As an instructor at a small college, I am called upon to teach nearly every course in the mathematics curriculum. Therefore, I spend a great deal of time trolling for textbooks, as I never know from one year to the next what I will be teaching. I examined this book for possible adoption as a text for a single semester course in differential equations. My conclusion was that it is acceptable, but since it contains enough material for a two semester sequence, it must be assigned a rank lower than those that cover only a single semester. However, I do strongly approve of the pedagogical approach taken by the authors. Their use of blue highlighting for the important formulas is eye-catching and effective. As I scanned through the book it was sometimes easier to determine the topic of a section by looking for the equations that were in blue. The exposition made the material easy to follow and the many worked and varied examples make the coverage complete. I was also pleased to see the occasional theorem with proof. While courses in differential equations are largely, "give the technique(s), here is how to use it", it is still an upper division math course and an occasional proof is certainly reasonable and effective. The authors also include a short set of technical writing exercises at the end of the chapters and there are plenty of exercises with answers to the odd-numbered ones included in an appendix. While I don't think that I would ever make use of the technical writing exercises, I am sure that there are others who would take advantage of the opportunity. In conclusion, even though I was impressed with this book, I doubt that I would adopt it. The differences between differential equation texts tend to be rather small, so the fact that this book is suitable for a two-semester sequence is enough for me to continue to look elsewhere.

Fundamentals of Differential Equations, Sixth Edition

the book was in perfect condition just like the seller said so.

An excellent text

I used the fifth edition of this textbook for my differential equations class, and since then I have continued to use it. The examples do a thorough job of explaining new concepts, as long as the reader is comfortable with working along and filling in the extra steps (Actually, in my opinion, this should be the standard method for learning from a textbook). Since my first differential equations class, I have encountered some difficulty understanding partial differential equations, particularly heat equations and vibrations of a spring. The textbook I use for my intermediate engineering math course that I am covering this material for does a sloppy and incoherent job. However, using this book as a reference I was able to break down the process to "discovering" partial differential equations and am on my way to understanding at least heat equations and vibrating strings rather well. This book also clearly facilitates the reasoning behind fourier series and transforms.I highly recommend this book. Although I didn't have much choice in selecting it for my courses, its use after the end of the intended course certainly exemplifies its value.

This is the best math book I have ever read

I have read many books on calculus and other areas of math. THIS BOOK IS BY FAR THE BEST. It's explanations are clear, the material is organized very well, and the subject matter is complete. Differential equations is never an easy subject, but I found that with relatively little effort I was understanding the subject completely. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wishes a clear and understandable explanation of this subject.