How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus

by Eugene Don and Benay Don

Book Overview

Considered to be the hardest mathematical problems to solve, word problems continue to terrify students across all math disciplines. This new title in the World Problems series demystifies these difficult problems once and for all by showing even the most math-phobic readers simple, step-by-step tips and techniques. How to Solve World Problems in Calculus reviews important concepts in calculus and provides solved problems and step-by-step solutions...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071358978
• ISBN13: 9780071358972
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

An outstanding example of a modern masterpiece

How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus is one of the best mathematical books I've read. I actually came into this book based on my extremely positive experience with How to Solve Word Problems in Algebra. The way the authors laid out the problems in How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus and explained how they are solved in a clear, crisp way is unbelievably excellent. It was so good that I absorbed all of the materials well enough to understand how word problems worked in Calculus. There is a certain thinking that translated well in my brain which made a nice transition between mathematical language and English. The strategies shown in How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus are beautifully set up ahead of time and give me what to use before encountering a problem. When a problem is shown, chances are that I might get it totally wrong, but no fear, the authors explains everything how the problem is worked on and how it is attacked from different perspectives. All of the problems shown in the book have a very good relevance with the Calculus textbooks that I had in past, and when I worked on them problems from the textbooks, I always thought of my experience from How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus. It has proved to be fruitful and highly successful in my journey of word problem solving. The eight chapters of the book deal with geometry, related rates among several subjects, maximum and minimum, trigonometric functions, exponential functions, area and volume problems including integration, and business application problems. Not one of the problems is outside of the context or outdated. Every problem is with a fully explained solution. At the price of $9.95, How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus is an absolute steal. I heartily recommend every school in public education to adopt this book, along with How to Solve Word Problems in Algebra, as a standard text in educating students in word problem solving as it is understandably the greatest hurdle of mathematics education of a young student because of the notorious avoidance of the topic by the teachers. All in all, How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus is a book to be had and to be thoroughly worked on by students of Calculus, and I can guarantee the book to be very educational. This is coming from a person who has worked with a lot of mathematical books and come away largely unimpressed with many of them. As a side note, I agree with one reviewer that there are not enough integration problems. Should this section be expanded, the better the book gets.

Great Litte Book

This book is really good for learning to solve basic calculus problems. Clear explanations and good selection of problems. Highly recommended.

Okay, as far as it goes

Overall, this is an execellent book. My only criticism is this: The bulk of the problems focus on the use of differential calculus. Very little space is given to the use of integration, other than the usual "area under a curve" and "volume of a solid of revolution" stuff. Integration is useful for many other kinds of problems; they should be included.

Essential for calculus students

Very good, straightforward book. It leads you through word problems, the nemesis of all math students, and does so in a clear and sensible way.

Contains all the Classics!

I was first introduced to the mysteries of limits, differentiation, and integration in the Winter of 1966. I used a text no longer available, one that really stretched your abilities through the variety and difficulty of elementary problems offered up for exercise. Since that time, I have seen many a calculus book come and go where most contain the same old tired and unimaginative problem set. This book definitely fills that woeful gap. Not only does "How to Solve Word Problems in Calculus" present a great variety of classic derivative problems completely worked out, but it also presents the solutions in a step-by-step fashion, which helps the student thoroughly familiarize themselves with a basic problem-solving process as presented in an early chapter. One thing that I like is the emphasis on precise picture drawing that allows for crucial left-right brain integration--very important when trying to figure out exactly what quanity (and subsequently function) we are trying to optimize. If the book has a weakness, it is the lack of really new and innovative problems in integration. But, integration has traditionally been a subject that eludes elementary applications other than the usual geometric fare. Don't let this stop you from buying this great and valuable teacher resource!