Calculus

by Robert T. Smith and Roland B. Minton

Published 1 January 2000
The wide-ranging debate brought about by the calculus reform movement has had a significant impact on textbooks. In response to many of the questions and concerns surrounding this debate, the authors have written a modern calculus textbook for students majoring in mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering and related fields. The text is aimed at the average student who does not already know the subject, whose background is somewhat weak in some areas, and who needs a significant motivation to study calculus. A relatively standard order of presentation is used, integrating technology and thought-provoking exercises throughout. Some minor changes have been made in the order of topics to reflect shifts in the importance of certain applications in engineering and science. This text also gives an early introduction to logarithms, exponentials and the trigonometric functions. Wherever practical, concepts are developed from graphical, numerical and algebraic persepectives (the "Rule of Three") to give students a full understanding of calculus. This text places a significant emphasis on problem solving and presents realistic applications, as well as open-ended problems.
An expanded section uses linear approximation to provide an introduction to l'Hopital's Rule. NetTutor is a revolutionary new web-based learning environment for the live dissemination of mathematical content. It offers live, personalized tutoring via the Internet. Using NetTutor's powerful WWWhiteboard software, students can post a question and receive prompt feedback from an expert in the subject. The table of contents features an early introduction to the calculus logarithms, exponentials and the trigonometric functions.