Description
Known for accuracy, precision, and rigor, Soo Tan now brings those same qualities to the Calculus course. With his clear, concise writing style, and use of relevant, real world examples, Tan introduces abstract mathematical concepts with his intuitive approach that captures student interest without compromising mathematical rigor. In keeping with this emphasis on conceptual understanding, each exercise set begins with concept questions and each end-of-chapter review section includes fill-in-the-blank questions which help students master the definitions and theorems in each chapter. Additionally, many questions asking for the interpretation of graphical, numerical, and algebraic results are included among both the examples and the exercise sets.
Features
Real-life, Relevant Applications: Soo Tan's intuitive approach to calculus links the abstract ideas of calculus with concrete, real-life examples. One such example—the maglev (magnetic levitation) train is used as a common thread from limits through integration, to show students the connection between all of these concepts.
Intuitive Presentation Style: By introducing the limit concept in the context of finding the rate of change of the maglev, Tan captures student interest from the very beginning – this approach demonstrates the relevance of calculus in the real world. Elsewhere in the text, this intuitive approach is again used to advantage to introduce and explain some of the fundamental theorems in calculus, such as the Intermediate Value Theorem and the Mean Value Theorem.
Guidance When Students Need It: Comments appear next to many of the steps and aid in student understanding. Notes found at the end of many examples further explain and clarify the example, and point out subtleties within them. Cautions advise students on how to avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings, addressing both student misconceptions and situations that often lead students down unproductive paths.
Emphasis on Concepts in the Exercise Sets: End of section Concept Questions are designed to test students' understanding and encourage students to explain these concepts in their own words. Beginning each end of chapter review, Concept Review Questions give students a chance to check their knowledge of the basic definitions and concepts.
Emphasis on Problem-Solving: Problem-Solving Techniques, at the end of selected chapters, teach students the tools they need to make seemingly complex problems easier to solve.
Table of Contents 0. Preliminaries. 1. Limits. 2. The Derivative. 3. Applications of the Derivative. 4. Integration. 5. Applications of the Definite Integral. 6. Techniques of Integration. 7. Differential Equations. 8. Infinite Sequences and Series. 9. Conic Sections, Parametric Equations, and Polar Coordinates. 10. Vectors and the Geometry of Space. 11. Vector-Valued Functions. 12. Functions of Several Variables. 13. Multiple Integrals. 14. Vector Analysis.
Soo T. Tan, Professor of Mathematics at Stonehill College, has published numerous papers in Optimal Control Theory and Numerical Analysis. He received his S.B. degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles. "One of the most important lessons I learned from my early experience teaching these courses is that many of the students come into these courses with some degree of apprehension. This awareness led to the intuitive approach I have adopted in all of my texts."