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by Robert Laughlin
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Basic Books (2005-03-01)
ISBN: 046503828X
EAN: 9780465038282
Dewy Decimal #: 530
Hardcover: 272 pages
Release Date: 2005-03-01
SKU: 081408005
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: ...No noticeable Underlining or Highlighting...
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Why everything we think about fundamental physical laws needs to change, and why the greatest mysteries of physics are not at the ends of the universe but as close as the nearest ice cube or grain of salt. Not since Richard Feynman has a Nobel Prize-winning physicist written with as much panache as Robert Laughlin does in this revelatory and essential book. Laughlin proposes nothing less than a new way of understanding fundamental laws of science. In this age of superstring theories and Big-Bang cosmology, we're used to thinking of the unknown as being impossibly distant from our everyday lives. The edges of science, we're told, lie in the first nanofraction of a second of the Universe's existence, or else in realms so small that they can't be glimpsed even by the most sophisticated experimental techniques. But we haven't reached the end of science, Laughlin argues-only the end of reductionist thinking. If we consider the world of emergent properties instead, suddenly the deepest mysteries are as close as the nearest ice cube or grain of salt. And he goes farther: the most fundamental laws of physics-such as Newton's laws of motion and quantum mechanics -are in fact emergent. They are properties of large assemblages of matter, and when their exactness is examined too closely, it vanishes into nothing. A Different Universe takes us into a universe where the vacuum of space has to be considered a kind of solid matter, where sound has quantized particles just like those of light, where there are many phases of matter, not just three, and where metal resembles a liquid while superfluid helium is more like a solid. It is a universe teeming with natural phenomena still to be discovered. This is a truly mind-altering book that shows readers a surprising, exquisitely beautiful and mysterious new world.
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Customer Reviews
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Why do they love it and hate it?
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-11-11
As with Wolfram's "A New Kind of Science", this is a book with valuable philosophical insights, which many reviewers dismiss because those are not physical insights. Hence the mix of 5 and 1 star reviews. In other words, don't come here to learn physics, but if you like "why" questions, then read this book.
A book that makes people angry is not necessarily revolutionary, but revolutionary books do make people angry.
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Self-indulgent and offensive but absolutely wonderful
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-08-16
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book will probably offend you because of its *seemingly* flippant dismissal of various current popular theories such as string theory. The author comes across as arrogant, and the book is quite self-indulgently edited.
The good news is that it made clear to me, in a way that had never happened before, the depth of the problems facing naive reductionism. He shows how in many cases reductionist results have a high degree of bogosity. None of the solid states of water were predicted in advance, but after they were discovered "explanations" were readily found.
He convinced me that current "fundamental" physics is almost certainly no such thing and is almost certainly a set of emergent phenomena based on at least one more layer of physics.
The author's arrogance is tempered by the fact that he is quite happy to make fun of himself when this helps to make his point. Which is, in part, that the world is full of things we really don't understand and we need to be a bit more humble about it and accept the need to understand things on their own terms.
I would suggest that if you have read this book and did not have your understanding of physics and science generally radically changed, it might be worth reading it again and more carefully.
This is one of the best popular books on physics I have ever read and I highly recommend it.
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A Disappointing Universe
Rating  (1)
Date: 2008-07-05
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I am compelled to read and study science and mathematics and usually have several books on quantum theory, cosmology, relativity, and the nature of consciousnesses going at any moment in time. I select my reads carefully and am rarely disappointed, but I really blew it in choosing Robert Laughlin's "A Different Universe." I grudgingly finished the book hoping that there would be some insight near the end that would make getting through the rest of it worthwhile, but alas no cigar. My specific criticisms are as follows. The book is extremely light in physics and heavy in personal anecdotes and attempts at sarcastic humor, some of which is funny, but then I didn't look under humor when I choose this book. The physics, chemistry and biology that Laughlin does include are dealt with in a cursory manner as if they were inside jokes not requiring thorough explanation. If I had not previously read extensively on the main topic of the book, "emergence", I would have ended "A different Universe" still confused about the concept. If you are interested in a clear book on the subject I would recommend, "The Emergence of Everything-how the world became complex" by Harold Morowitz. The reason I read these books is to get an ever increasing understanding of the natural world and I hope that the scientist writing them will offer up a new metaphor, analogy or image that will enlighten my understanding. I assume that Laughlin has that ability, but at least for me, failed to display it in "A different Universe."
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A Very Funny Book...
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-01-14
10 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
... and deliberately provocative, as several other reviewers failed to realize. If I were a good deal younger, I'd describe Prof. Laughlin's humor as "snarky", but since that adjective isn't yet in my vocabulary I'll have to go with "sm*rt-*ssed". It's perhaps a sort of humor that tickles the funny-bones of science nerds most, rather like 'viola jokes' amongst us musicians, and the anecdotes almost certainly offend those readers who find they are the butts of Laughlin's humor. He is unrepentantly scornful of those he perceives as fools. But how can you resist his description of String Theory: "a textbook case of a Deceitful Turkey, a beautiful set of ideas that will always remain just out of reach. Far from a wonderful technological hope for tomorrow, it is instead the tragic consequence of an obsolete belief system..." Yeah! I happen to think of String Theory, if I have to, as Sudoku for Metaphysicians.
The unifying theme of A Different Universe is that physical sciences have "stepped firmly out of the age of reductionism into the age of emergence." I won't attempt to parse that statement; it would be like giving away the end of a suspense novel.
There are also moments of homiletic wisdom to be found, sauced with humor. In his chapter about nuclear science vs. applied nuclear engineering (think Hiroshima), Laughlin writes: "... self deception has consequences. Most of the time the effect is not as dire as warfare, but simply a degradation of the quality of life. These degradations include such happy institutions as road rage, divorce court, and excessively long faculty meetings." Make of that sermon what you will! It's not unamusing to find a Nobel-winning tenured professor at Stanford still picturing himself as Peck's Bad Boy or James Dean.
Geneticists should be warned that Laughlin is particularly harsh about their methodologies, even though he grudgingly admits that his kind of physics is a good deal more like biology than like the physics of yesteryear. Antone who has invested her/his retirement funds in nanotechnology will also have reason to cringe; Laughlin regards nanotubes as microcosmic black holes that swallow research money and never release it.
Proponents of "Intelligent Design" should be VERY careful not to leap to any assumption that Laughlin's ideas of emergent self-organization might support their beliefs. Quite the opposite: his Emergence utterly dispenses with any need, philosophical or scientific, for a Designer.
Much of what Prof. Laughlin writes, and writes about, will be cutting-edge difficult for many readers, but those readers will be hard-pressed to find a more engaging and comprehensible account of quantum mechanics, indeterminacy, the Standard Model, and other such items of bedtime reading than A Different Universe. Buy it for the jokes, and you may stay for the insights.
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Simply Brilliant
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-11-26
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Laughlin provides a broad sweep of reductionist physics, takes that reductionist model to it's logical limit and then gives us a a worthy suprise- the birth of "emergence" theories in physics at the other end of the spectrum in size. He eventually shares that what we think of as classical or Newtonian physics is actually emergent from quantum physics, once the scale of atoms or molecules become great enough. Further, emergence theories explain new patterns found in nature not at the atomic, but rather at the system and organizational level. What I loved about the book was his crystal clear and approachable writing, sense of humor, excitement of discovery, and personal stories from time spent with some of the greatest thinkers of our time. The new theories of emergence also help explain why open systems or starfish style networks often self organize and produce such tremendous power and beauty in their output. As a co-author of "The Starfish and The Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations," I find that "A Different Universe" helps explain the mysterious power of decentralized organization that sometimes "just happens" in a free and open system. The "organizational" models and theories from physics often have parallels in human groups. This book is a masterpiece in both physics and organizational thinking.
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by Carl B. Boyer
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (1985-04)
ISBN: 0691023913
EAN: 9780691023915
Dewy Decimal #: 510.09
Paperback
SKU: 051708017
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comments: juneheavy wear but still very usable. (not pretty)
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Product Description
Presupposes a knowledge of college level mathematics but is accessible to the average reader through its consistent treatment of mathematical structure with a strict adherence to historical perspective and detail. The material is arranged chronologically beginning with archaic origins and covers Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Arabic and European contributions done to the nineteenth century and present day. There are revised references and bibliographies and revised and expanded chapters on the nineteeth and twentieth centuries.
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Amazon.com Review
What do you mean there's no chapter 0? Whether or not you think that's a deficit, A History of Mathematics more than makes up for it with its depth and engaging analysis of the development of the "flawless science." Historian Carl B. Boyer designed it as a practical textbook for communicating math's complex timelines to interested college students in 1968; Uta C. Merzbach has gently revised it to bring it in line with current thought. Much of the early chapters are untouched, with new 19th- and 20th-century chapters covering Boyer's omissions and new and revised references guiding the reader to additional resources. From the origins of numbering to the future of computing, the authors strive for comprehensive examination and clear, simple explanations. Some of the math will daunt those who have never taken college-level courses (or have forgotten what they learned), but some of the more elaborate technical material can be skipped if needed. Especially helpful is the extensive timeline-appendix that proceeds from the beginning of time to the late 20th century. Whether you're using it to gain a better understanding of mathematics or to broaden your awareness of the historical record, A History of Mathematics will help you make sense of the wide world of numbers. --Rob Lightner
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Customer Reviews
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A history of PURE Mathematics
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-10-19
An interesting exposition of the history of mathematics up to the mid-20th century, but the author's attitude is somewhat irritating. I would describe him somewhat of a "purist fundamentalist". His denigration of the contributions of applied mathematicians shows throughout the book. His best praise for someone is "so and so did not only contribute to applied mathematics", as if pure mathematics is the superior art.
Nevertheless, the book is an interesting read and the exercises are full of interesting mathematical puzzles. A word of caution is that the reader needs some college-level mathematics to understand much of the book, despite its being written in simpler language. Some of the latter chapters also get confusing since he talks about 5 mathematicians at any one time, jumping from the contributions of one to another in mid-sentence, then going back to someone else described earlier. It would have been more helpful if his sections were better-defined and had titles. Could also use an update to the 21st century.
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Usefulness
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-02-08
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Excellent organization and coverage. Type size limits effectiveness for practical reference on a routine basis. Subject matter being oriented toward those accustomed to frequent reference should serve as guide.
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A great introduction to the history of math
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-09-12
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
When I was a high school student, I loved math, but hated math classes, with their tedious emphasis on going over things until even the most mathematically ungifted either got the stuff (or gave up!) the repetitive teaching necessary to inculcate it into the densest heads, and the problem solving that went on long after I had "got it."
Would that I'd then had this book. Boyer has written a great introductory work to both the history of math and math itself, which you can read at your own pace, study until you get it and then move on, with lots of references if you for some reason want to understand something even better. By grouping the chapters around eras of mathematicians, and various mathematicians, he makes the history of math approachable even to those without degrees in mathematics.
This is not necessarily THE book you'd want to read if you're working on a masters or PhD in math, but the sort of book you'd really love to read as a bright high school student or undergraduate student. All in all a great book, but, as other reviewers have written, not exactly the Encyclopaedia Britanica, but then, how many people read the Britanica for pleasure?
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Everyone should read this book
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-03-28
13 out of 13 customers found this reveiw helpful
Hey I read this book loved it, and everyone should read it! Hey I am no brain, I do not belong to Mensa, nor am I endowed with any superior intelect, I am an average guy, Just a B student, who fell in love with this book. Anybody if they really want can understand this book and really appreciate what math is. Mathmatics before this book was just a bunch of numbers on a page any countless formulas to memorize, however this book changed me, I see math a whole different way now. Studying the history of mathmatics is like studying the history of the world. It is a shame this information is never taught in elementry school, it would make kids a lot more interested in math and actually be able to see what the numbers mean. After reading this book a door has been opened. I now am more curious about mathmatics and well everything! I understand where those numbers came from, Pie no longer is something I eat or some funy thing in a formula to find the area of a circle, it actually means something to now.
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Not for the serious student of history of mathematics
Rating  (3)
Date: 2003-10-08
66 out of 77 customers found this reveiw helpful
Boyer can write pretty well. His tendency to wax on about the virtues of the people he writes about can get annoying, but overall this probably works to make a more engaging style. This kind of writing style is entirely appropriate for a textbook designed to draw readers into the world of mathematics, but is prone to wide, sweeping generalizations and ill-supported assumptions and occasionally, factually incorrect statements.The reader who is serious about studying the development of mathematics will learn something from this book, but there are better places to learn it. Boyer, as indicated above, seems intent on "cleaning up" history to fit the nice picture he has of it. Unfortunately, merely reciting well-known mathematical legends does more harm than good; it obscures the real process of discovery, and the way mathematics has, and still does, develop. There are errors in the book that indicate Boyer did not do his research. To keep this review short, I'll name one: Boyer credits Poincare with the Poincare disc model of hyperbolic geometry. Anyone that has actually looked at Riemann's very important 1854 lecture (one of the most important documents of 19th century mathematics) will realize this model is due to Riemann! Since Boyer spends quite a bit of time on Riemann, this is rather puzzling. Boyer also relies on E.T. Bell for some biographical information. No serious historian of mathematics would (or should) reference Bell for biographies of mathematicians. Bell's caricatures are entertaining, but do a disservice to the subject. This book is only recommended for those who want to get a vague idea of the history of mathematics, but do not particularly care about the details being correct. For that purpose, Boyer does a better job than most.
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by Stephen L. Harris
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company (1990-10)
ISBN: 0878422439
EAN: 9780878422432
Dewy Decimal #: 551.20978
Paperback: 268 pages
SKU: 090508031
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: ...no markings or highlighting...minor wear on cover
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Customer Reviews
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Catastrophists Rejoice !
Rating (3)
Date: 2002-08-28
3 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
Steven Harris taken what might be thought of as pretty boring "science" stuff and written an exciting book about how unstable our stable, or at least what we percieve as stable, world can be. Students of geology might find some of this stuff "old hat" and Harris, rightly so, has targeted his book to the layman. Focusing on the western United States, he presents a look at natural catastrophies from a geologic standpoint that have happened (focusing on recent geological past events) and how these events could (and eventually will) create chaos to us more recent earth residents. Many readers are probably familiar with the major earthquake danger in California; however, I venture that most are unaware of the types of volcanic dangers presented in this book (and you thought the only real dangers in Yellowstone National Park were bears and RVs). My only complaints have to do with a lack of good editing. Drawing on such a large bibliography of peer-reviewed scientific literature, one wishes that Harris would have borrowed more of the rigorious editing that is a staple of the science. The chapters of the book read somewhat like individual articles with repetition of some facts (almost verbatum) in almost every chapter (no real "flow" from chapter to chapter). Ditto some of the illustrations. Several of the maps were presented without scales and captions on some illustrations were confusing. With a good re-edit my rating would be 4-stars.
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nice
Rating (4)
Date: 2001-02-20
3 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
I may not be majoring in geology, but I found this book to be an excellant read. I was suprised by some of the information that was presented in this book.
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Informative book on geological events for the US.
Rating (4)
Date: 1999-09-21
9 out of 11 customers found this reveiw helpful
Mr. Harris covers it all in this book. From earthquakes, volcanoes, and floods. One learns much about how much has happened here in the US, and what could happen next. Good coverage on the earthquake threat. The volcano information is pretty much the same from his earlier book "Fire Mountains Of The West." But new information on why there is so much lava in the Pacific Northwest may surprise you. Just as reading about the great floods that hit out west during the ice age. I like this book, and recommend it.
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by The Staff of Research & Education Association
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Research & Education Association (2000-07-01)
ISBN: 0878911790
EAN: 9780878911790
Dewy Decimal #: 612.0076
Paperback: 296 pages
Edition: 1
SKU: 041008025
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: lots of highlighting...curled corners
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Product Description
REA's Super Reviews help students brush up on tough subjects. They are more thorough than ordinary subject reviews but less complex than voluminous study guides. Numerous solved problems accompany the review and bring it to life. The Anatomy & Physiology Super Review includes an introduction to anatomy and physiology, the chemistry of life, cells and the skin, the skeletal system, the nervous system, the endocrine system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the urinary system, the reproductive system, and human development. Exercises and quizzes enable students to check whether they have learned what they need to know, whether they understand the subject and have command of it.
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Customer Reviews
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Excellent referenc for A and P
Rating (5)
Date: 2003-09-12
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book was helpful for studying for my anatomy and physiology exams in college. It was easy to understand and provided good summaries. I also used the following which is also on amazon.com
Key Facts For Anatomy and Physiology by Patrick Leonardi
This last book was on target with the type of facts asked on the test. This author lets you know right away what to focus on for the test. Both books are five stars.
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Not for beginners
Rating  (2)
Date: 2001-02-18
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I bought this book to help review before tests i found that it misses a lot of important information. i'm looking for something better
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by DK Publishing
Product Group: Book
Publisher: DK ADULT (2001-04-01)
ISBN: 0789474980
EAN: 9780789474988
Dewy Decimal #: 508.8
Hardcover: 216 pages
Edition: 1st
SKU: 081908004
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: exlibrary copy in good condition with the usual markings and stickers
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Product Description
South America contains a greater variety of wildlife and more spectacular landscapes than almost anywhere else on Earth. The continent encompasses the world's longest mountain chain, mightiest river system, and driest desert, yet it is arguably the least known and least explored of the world's land mass. Until recently, a trip to South America was considered only by the wealthy or by the intrepid traveler. But now that film-makers, photographers, and writers share their discoveries on film and in print, more and more people are inspired to see the continent for themselves. South America's potential for ecotourism is gradually being realized, and South America is one of the fastest growing destinations for travelers. Wild South America offers the ecotraveler and the armchair traveler alike an invaluable overview of the whole continent and a practical guide to the best wildlife sites.
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by (Editor: Editors of ESRI Press)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Esri Press (2004-09-28)
ISBN: 158948102X
EAN: 9781589481022
Dewy Decimal #: 006.6
Paperback: 384 pages
Edition: Book and Access
Release Date: 2004-09-01
SKU: 103008071
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: some highlighting...edge wear on cover
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Product Description
Building a Geodatabase introduces you to geodatabase concepts and shows how to use the ESRI® ® ArcGIS&tm; Desktop products-- ArcInfo&tm;, ArcEditor&tm;, and ArcView® to implement geographic database designs. Whether you are importing existing data or building a new geodatabase from scratch, this book makes it easy to find a task and work through the steps to get it done.
You will learn how to:
Migrate existing geographic data into a geodatabase.
Create new feature classes, feature data sets, and tables.
Add behavior to your features by creating subtypes and validation rules.
Create relationships between objects in your geodatabase by creating relationship classes and geometric networks.
Design your geodatabase using Unified Modeling Language, and create your geodatabase schema using Computer-Aided Software Engineering tools.
Create new features and edit existing features with behaviors.
Create and edit dimension features to annotate your maps and drawings.
Work with a versioned geodatabase.
Begin by following the quick-start tutorial to get an overview of how to create and edit a geodatabase, and then actually create your first geodatabase. If you prefer, jump right in and experiment on your own. When you have questions, you will find concise, step-by-step answers inside, fully illustrated, to help you complete a task.
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Customer Reviews
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Very useful
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-10-25
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
A very useful how-to book when working on geodatabases. It is something I keep in my library and refer to when I forget a specific procedure or when problem solving versioning, spatial extents, or other items. Handy for both personal and sde. Should be a part of all ESRI users libraries.
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by Ron Larson, Robert P. Hostetler, Bruce H. Edwards, David E. Heyd
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company (2001-07-11)
ISBN: 0618141804
EAN: 9780618141807
Dewy Decimal #: 515
Hardcover: 1091 pages
Edition: 7
SKU: 111008003
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: LMC has cd...No noticeable Underlining or Highlighting.....moderate cover wear..
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Designed for the three-semester course for math and science majors, the Larson/Hostetler/Edwards series continues its tradition of success by being the first to offer both an Early Transcendental version as well as a new Calculus with Precalculus text. This was also the first calculus text to use computer-generated graphics (Third Edition), to include exercises involving the use of computers and graphing calculators (Fourth Edition), to be available in an interactive CD-ROM format (Fifth Edition), and to be offered as a complete, online calculus course (Sixth Edition). Every edition of the book has made the mastery of traditional calculus skills a priority, while embracing the best features of new technology and, when appropriate, calculus reform ideas. The Seventh Edition also expands its support package with an all-new set of text-specific videos. - P.S. Problem-Solving Sections, an additional set of thought-provoking exercises added to the end of each chapter, require students to use a variety of problem-solving skills and provide a challenging arena for students to work with calculus concepts.
- Getting at the Concept Exercises added to each section exercise set check students' understanding of the basic concepts. Located midway through the exercise set, they are both boxed and titled for easy reference.
- Review Exercises at the end of each chapter have been reorganized to provide students with a more effective study tool. The exercises are now grouped and correlated by text section, enabling students to target concepts requiring review.
- The icon "IC" in the text identifies examples that appear in the Interactive Calculus 3.0 CD-ROM and Internet Calculus 2.0 web site with enhanced opportunities for exploration and visualization using the program itself and/or a Computer Algebra System.
- Think About It conceptual exercises require students to use their critical-thinking skills and help them develop an intuitive understanding of the underlying theory of the calculus.
- Modeling Data multi-part questions ask students to find and interpret mathematical models to fit real-life data, often through the use of a graphing utility.
- Section Projects, extended applications that appear at the end of selected exercise sets. may be used for individual, collaborative, or peer-assisted assignments.
- True or False? Exercises, included toward the end of many exercises sets, help students understand the logical structure of calculus and highlight concepts, common errors, and the correct statements of definitions and theorems.
- Motivating the Chapter sections opening each chapter present data-driven applications that explore the concepts to be covered in the context of a real-world setting.
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Customer Reviews
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Excellent Calculus Book for First Time Learners and Self Learners
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-11-04
I believe this book is excellent compared to James Stewart's Calculus. Using this book was helpful in high school, but was even more helpful in college. As I didn't take a rigorous calculus course in high school, when I got to college and was using the Stewart book I found it to be quite confusing. Following the advice of a friend, I decided to purchase this book because of its clarity in explaining the concepts of calculus. Another plus of this book is that it has material for Calc I, II, and III. As I have decided to learn more advanced mathematics this will aid me in accomplishing my goal by being able to learn the Calculus sequence.
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top notch and all inclusive book
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-01-12
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
practically free too
I am using this to study for the GRE and GMAT to prepare for grad school math
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Decent text but by no means excellent.
Rating (3)
Date: 2005-09-13
6 out of 14 customers found this reveiw helpful
This was the book I used in high school, and while it was certainly decent, it would not have been very useful without the aid of my excellent calculus teacher.
I have many of the same criticisms of this book as I do of the Stewart, although I do think this book does a slightly better job in the very beginning, for example, when introducing the limit, and also in that it leaves out some of the extraneous and confusing attempts at applications in the first chapter. I still think the book contains too many confusing applications from the second chapter onward. I do think the book would be improved by having a completely separate section covering the definition of the limit, however.
I like the prose in the examples. I like the presentation of some of the material from multivariable calculus. But again, this book is like a typical intro calc book--it's not rigorous enough, has too much brute force, too many applications, not enough mathematics, not enough creativity. This book doesn't cultivate the awe and wonder that should be present when a student learns calculus.
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The best book of it's kind.
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-10-05
18 out of 18 customers found this reveiw helpful
Every concept and example is explained with just the right amount of words and visual aids. The author has talent. The talent is his ability to pass the relevant information straight to the center of your brain, and the ability to bind the whole subject together.
In comparison, Stewart's Calculus book is just a compilation of information. With each new edition, Stewart adds more footnotes and side notes. The footnotes and side notes really only serve as a bandage to prevent the information of his book from falling apart.
While Larson is presenting us with a complete and beautiful product, Stewart is scrambling to keep his product at par.
Larson's book is the best all purpose high school and undergraduate book of it's kind. The website of the book is great and holds interesting additional information.
Some cons. The book is big heavy and expensive. Some key precalculus reviews are missing in the main book, however, they are available on the book's website.
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The Best Calculus Book
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-09-06
12 out of 12 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is the best Calculus book, or for that matter, one of the best text books I have ever studied. I transfered colleges and have had the opportunity to see other Calc books. This book (with the solution manual) explains the problems thoroghly and each problem section starts with the very easy, and the gradually moves into the challenging. It also works in real world applications to make your study of the subject much more interesting. I give the book an A+.
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by Rhonda Huettenmueller
Product Group: Book
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional (2004-06-15)
ISBN: 0071439285
EAN: 9780071439282
UPC: 639785511021
Dewy Decimal #: 512
Paperback: 384 pages
Edition: 1
SKU: 010509010
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: ...no markings or highlighting...minor wear on cover
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A BETTER WAY TO COLLEGE ALGEBRA X-PERTISE One of the most valuable tools acquired in a university education, college algebra is essential for courses from the sciences to computing, engineering to mathematics. It can help you do better on placement exams, even before college, and it's useful in solving the computations of daily life. Now anyone with an interest in college algebra can master it. In College Algebra Demystified, entertaining author and experienced teacher Rhonda Huettenmueller breaks college algebra down into manageable bites with practical examples, real data, and a new approach that banishes algebra's mystery. With College Algebra Demystified, you master the subject one simple step at a time—at your own speed. Unlike most books on college algebra, general concepts are presented first—and the details follow. In order to make the process as clear and simple as possible, long computations are presented in a logical, layered progression with just one execution per step. This fast and easy self-teaching course will help you: - Perform better on placement exams
- Avoid confusion with detailed examples and solutions that help you every step of the way
- Conquer the coordinate plane, lines and intercepts, parabolas, and nonlinear equations
- Get comfortable with functions, graphs of functions, logarithms, exponents, and more
- Master aspects of algebra that will help you with calculus, geometry, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, computing, and engineering
- Reinforce learning and pinpoint weaknesses with questions at the end of every chapter, and a final at the end of the book
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Customer Reviews
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Not good for self study
Rating (2)
Date: 2008-05-28
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
The only reason I gave 2 stars was because there are quite a few problems to work out. If you want supplemental problems for a College Algebra class to work then this book is right for you, if you are trying to use it as a self study guide then do not bother purchasing this book, I would recommend Schaum's Outline College Algebra. The author does not explain the steps in how problems are solved, if you are using this for self study, which the author proclaims, you do not have access to a instructor to ask your questions so adequet explanations should have been included.
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If you're going to buy Pre-Calculus.....
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-01-02
7 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
I felt this book was written with clarity.
Much of it was a review for a subject that I had studied years ago and had forgotten. Its written much better than the book I had back then.
However if you intend to purchase "Pre-Calculus" by the same author, buy that book and by-pass this book. Most of the material is duplicated in "Pre-Calculus" plus the additional material you will need for calculus.
Pre-Calculus is also a well written book.
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Do yourself a favor and buy this book.
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-08-22
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I haven't taken a math class in years and I would have tanked had I not bought this book. It is well written and covered most of the topics that my online College Alegbra class covered.
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Good Book-Didn't Meet my needs
Rating (3)
Date: 2007-07-22
0 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is a well-written, easy to understand book.
I ordered it as a companion to help me through my Algebra courses via UofPhoenix.
The curriculum didn't quite follow the same pattern as my college course, so I was unable to use the book as a reference.
It's probably best for a jr high/high school level algebra or remedial algebra college course.
Worth looking at if you are needing a review of algebra.
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Refreshing
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-07-05
This is an excellent book for those trying to get a refresher in Algebra. I've been using this to study for a accuplacer math placement test. I feel very confident taking the test now.
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by Robert F. Blitzer
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Prentice Hall (2003-02-18)
ISBN: 0131013653
EAN: 9780131013650
Dewy Decimal #: 512.9
Hardcover: 816 pages
Edition: 3
SKU: 102608005
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comments: ...No noticeable Underlining or Highlighting...heavy edge wear and some creased pages
More Product Infomation
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
This book presents the traditional content of Precalculus in a manner that answers the age-old question of “When will I ever use this?” Highlighting truly relevant applications, this book presents the material in an easy to teach from/easy to learn from approach. KEY TOPICS Chapter topics include equations, inequalities, and mathematical models; functions and graphs; polynomial and rational functions; exponential and logarithmic functions; systems of equations and inequalities; matrices and determinants; conic sections; and sequences, induction, and probability. For engineers of every kind, manufacturing personnel, technologists, technicians, and technical marketing professionals.
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Customer Reviews
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wrong isbn # on book
Rating (1)
Date: 2007-06-03
i received the book i ordered today (friday) and noticed that i did not
have the same isbn # the seller had advertized it for.
can i return the book and get refunded please.
eman
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Examples and problems constructed by inexperienced students
Rating (2)
Date: 2006-01-27
6 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
I have a master's degree in Electrical Engineering. I tutor students who are using this book in a community college course. In layout and in format, the book is very good. The concepts are presented in logical order, and the principles are usually explained well.
My problem is that the examples and the end-of-chapter problems are full of errors. Example: Section P.6, "Rational Expressions" presents several examples to define the domain of an expression. Most of these conclude with the incorrect domain. This kind of sloppy editing can leave the student totally confused about a concept that is all-important to understand later concepts, such as systems of equations and series summations.
I fully believe that the author left the basic book construction in the hands of inexperienced students. Its too bad that he did not bother with some double-checking of the work.
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Great, but Packaging needs improvement!
Rating (3)
Date: 2005-09-25
0 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I am very pleased with the process. The book that I ordered was correct and sent promptly. The only problem I had was with the packaging. It came wrapped in plastic ONLY! That caused the book to get damaged corners and dents.
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An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers
Rating (5)
Date: 2003-09-15
3 out of 24 customers found this reveiw helpful
I had the chance to go through the above book and I must say that I found it very useful. I very much liked the modern approach to the theory of numbers and the use of the historical aspect.
I am in Ghana teaching at the University of Education Wnneba. How can a get some copies for the Departmental Library?
I can not give much detail review now until a get a copy of the book.
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