Slay the calculus monster with this user-friendly guide
Calculus For Dummies, 2nd Edition makes calculus manageable–even if you’re one of the many students who sweat at the thought of it. By breaking down differentiation and integration into digestible concepts, this guide helps you build a stronger foundation with a solid understanding of the big ideas at work. This user-friendly math book leads you step-by-step through each concept, operation, and solution, explaining the ‘how’ and ‘why’ in plain English instead of math-speak. Through relevant instruction and practical examples, you’ll soon learn that real-life calculus isn’t nearly the monster it’s made out to be.
Calculus is a required course for many college majors, and for students without a strong math foundation, it can be a real barrier to graduation. Breaking that barrier down means recognizing calculus for what it is–simply a tool for studying the ways in which variables interact. It’s the logical extension of the algebra, geometry, and trigonometry you’ve already taken, and Calculus For Dummies, 2nd Edition proves that if you can master those classes, you can tackle calculus and win.
* Includes foundations in algebra, trigonometry, and pre-calculus concepts
* Explores sequences, series, and graphing common functions
* Instructs you how to approximate area with integration
* Features things to remember, things to forget, and things you can’t get away with
Stop fearing calculus, and learn to embrace the challenge. With this comprehensive study guide, you’ll gain the skills and confidence that make all the difference. Calculus For Dummies, 2nd Edition provides a roadmap for success, and the backup you need to get there.
Table of Content
Introduction 1
Part 1: An Overview of Calculus 5
Chapter 1: What Is Calculus? 7
Chapter 2: The Two Big Ideas of Calculus: Differentiation and Integration — plus Infinite Series 13
Chapter 3: Why Calculus Works 21
Part 2: Warming Up with Calculus Prerequisites 27
Chapter 4: Pre-Algebra and Algebra Review 29
Chapter 5: Funky Functions and Their Groovy Graphs 43
Chapter 6: The Trig Tango 61
Part 3: Limits 73
Chapter 7: Limits and Continuity 75
Chapter 8: Evaluating Limits 89
Part 4: Differentiation 105
Chapter 9: Differentiation Orientation 107
Chapter 10: Differentiation Rules — Yeah, Man, It Rules 127
Chapter 11: Differentiation and the Shape of Curves 147
Chapter 12: Your Problems Are Solved: Differentiation to the Rescue! 171
Chapter 13: More Differentiation Problems: Going Off on a Tangent 193
Part 5: Integration and Infinite Series 207
Chapter 14: Intro to Integration and Approximating Area 209
Chapter 15: Integration: It’s Backwards Differentiation 233
Chapter 16: Integration Techniques for Experts 263
Chapter 17: Forget Dr Phil: Use the Integral to Solve Problems 285
Chapter 18: Taming the Infinite with Improper Integrals 303
Chapter 19: Infinite Series 315
Part 6: The Part of Tens 339
Chapter 20: Ten Things to Remember 341
Chapter 21: Ten Things to Forget 345
Chapter 22: Ten Things You Can’t Get Away With 349
Index 353
About the author
Mark Ryan is the founder and owner of The Math Center, a math and test prep tutoring center in Winnetka, Illinois. He is the author of Calculus Workbook For Dummies, Calculus Essentials For Dummies, and three books on geometry in the For Dummies series. Ryan has taught junior high and high school math since 1989. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.
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