Vector Calculus (2nd Edition),   ISBN:9780130415318

Customer Rating: 

The product I ordered was in excellent condition. The shipping was a little slow, but other than that it was a great investment. Good Seller!

Customer Rating: 

I went through most of this text during a 1 quarter vector calculus course aimed at second and third year (US) math and physics undergrads. This book provides a reasonable mid-point between a standard calculus course where calculations are the main thrust of the course, and an analysis course where justifications are the main thrust of the course. This book does not include complete proofs for some of the more technical theorems, but it always includes proofs when the proof is helpful in understanding the theorem. This book also includes a gentle introduction to differential forms, which is very nice.

The aspect of this book that I appreciate the most is that it tries to provide very clear geometric and physical interpretations of the various standard vector calculus theorems. For whatever reason, this is unusual, which is sad. This approach makes these theorems much more accessible to an audience that is more comfortable with envisioning physical systems than with mathematical proof.

Customer Rating: 

The manual is not at all detailed. It in no way supplemented my learning. She does not offer detailed explanation, something I think is necessary when first learning a concept.

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I ordered the solutions manual to help explain the homework problems assigned to me in class from the textbook (since my professor doesn't go over homework at all and has horrible lectures), but it only has certain odd problem solutions. This only helps for those certain problems and can't help me understand what to do for the others...

So it's good if you're lucky enough to get those problems listed in the solutions manual.

Customer Rating: 

One positive note, this book covers what you would expect in a vector calculus class or multivariable calculus class in the U.S. It starts with a brief background in vectors and covers through Stokes' and Gauss' Theorems.

This textbook is terrible for mainstream vector calculus students. Even some of the simplest material is covered in an odd, obscure fashion for students new to vector calculus. Important material, formulas, and concepts tended to be written without emphasis. The individual sections in the book were long, but don't let that fool you as each example was confusing the first time around because the author decided we knew the "obvious" steps in an example before being taught them. The author also conveniently avoided any difficult integrals thus leaving the student to devise methods of solving the integrals in the exercises. Some of these problems required prior coursework knowledge which is understandable, but some required a table of integrals, which is conveniently not on the front or back covers of the book. In fact, there are no formulas on the inside of the covers of the book. No trigonometric identities, which were needed for most integrals...

The exercise problems at the end of the sections were sometimes incredibly difficult to complete even though they may have been numbered low. If you are hoping the book will help in solving some of its hard exercises, find another book. Some exercise problems' instructions were written so badly, I did the problem incorrect the first time only to realize it was only asking for something simple.

I often keep my mathematics textbook after the course, but I did not even think twice about keeping this one. Avoid buying this textbook unless you understand vector calculus already, in which case you would only need this book to do exercise problems.