Product Description
For ten editions, readers have turned to Salas to learn the difficult concepts of calculus without sacrificing rigor. The book consistently provides clear calculus content to help them master these concepts and understand its relevance to the real world. Throughout the pages, it offers a perfect balance of theory and applications to elevate their mathematical insights. Readers will also find that the book emphasizes both problem-solving skills and real-world applications. ... Read more

Product Description
For ten editions, readers have turned to Salas to learn the difficult concepts of calculus without sacrificing rigor. The book consistently provides clear calculus content to help them master these concepts and understand its relevance to the real world. Throughout the pages, it offers a perfect balance of theory and applications to elevate their mathematical insights. Readers will also find that the book emphasizes both problem-solving skills and real-world applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Very clear textbook
I like this calculus book a lot so far. All theorems are proved, but they are also given an illustration or intuitive argument to supplement this rigorous approach. The exercise sets are typical and very good. Like most math books, the more challenging exercises at the end of a section where the problem says "show that..." or "prove that.." are beyond my abilities to solve in a reasonable amount of time, but they are still useful. I have a pdf of the instructor solutions manual and I study the solutions, understand them, then copy them myself without looking at it again. This approach really enhanced my understanding of the material. If any of you would like the instructor manual, comment on this review with the email address you would like me to send it to and I'll try to do it for you.

straight up gangsta textbook
Easy to follow, and very comprehensive in its text. Highly recommended for any beginner of calculus who wants an organized and deep experience in the world of calculus involving single and multiple variables.

Excellent Text
My class required Calculus: Early Transcendental Functions, but I found the examples way too simple given the complexity of the problem sets. Picked up this book based on a recommendation from a friend, and found its explanations more thorough and easier to apply to the more difficult questions. Instead of telling me THAT something was true, it helped show WHY it was true.

Great seller
Great seller! Shipping was very fast, everything was really smooth and I received the book very quickly. The book was in excellent condition, looked like brand new.

Hard to learn from
This is the required book for my Calc II class, but it is confusing me more than helping.Part of the problem is that a lot of the notation is different from what I learned in AP Calculus BC (Calc I), but it is also unnecessarily complex.Most of the information in this book is in the theorems, however they are written so that only a math major can understand them, and they are not explained in the surrounding text.In fact, there is little text explaining anything--the book seems to assume that people can understand things from the theorems it presents.Here is one example that stands out:

[example of previous theorem]

------------------
Theorem 11.3.8
a(n) --> Liffa(n) - L -->0iff|a(n) - L| --> 0
------------------

We leave the proof to you.

------------------
Theorem 11.3.9 The Pinching Theorem for Sequences
(more math shorthand)
------------------

Once again, the proof is left to you.
The following is an obvious corollary to the pinching theorem.
[Another theorem...]


I see many problems in just this short section:
1. There is no explanation for anything.Following the last theorem, there are some examples.How am I supposed to tell what these theorems are for?The fact that the proof is left to the reader is OK, since it is not necessarily important to the understanding of the material.Other books I have seen often put proofs in an appendix.
2. Does theorem 11.3.8 have a name?Something that might tell people without this book a little about what it does?
3. Shorthand in the theorems is unnecessary, and makes them difficult to understand for people not familiar with the conventions of the book.Shorthand is appropriate for a chalkboard, not a textbook.Instead of "iff" they could write "if and only if", and instead of using an arrow to say the limit as n approaches infinity of a(n) is L, they could write it in the more common limit form (which is hard to reproduce here).
4. The tone is slightly condescending when it introduced the "obvious" corollary, since it is not obvious to me.Even a one-sentence explanation of why it should be obvious would suffice.

This excerpt is representative of the rest of the book.I looked back at some concepts I had learned in AP Calculus BC, but they did not make sense in this book.If this book is required for your Calc II class, try to find something better and don't waste your time and money on this book. ... Read more

Product Description
For ten editions, readers have turned to Salas to learn the difficult concepts of calculus without sacrificing rigor. The book consistently provides clear calculus content to help them master these concepts and understand its relevance to the real world. Throughout the pages, it offers a perfect balance of theory and applications to elevate their mathematical insights. Readers will also find that the book emphasizes both problem-solving skills and real-world applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

I would consider adopting it if I were teaching calculus
One variable calculus books are almost identical in content and organization. In terms of organization, there is a brief explanation of the new topic of the section, any new definitions or theorems pertaining to the topic, several examples followed by worked solutions and the section ends with a set of exercises. Solutions to the odd-numbered exercises are given in an appendix at the end of the book. This book does not deviate from that organization.
In terms of content, the chapters in this book are:

*) Precalculus review
*) Limits and continuity
*) Differentiation
*) The mean-value theorem and applications
*) Integration
*) Applications of the integral
*) The transcendental functions
*) Techniques of integration
*) The conic sections; polar coordinates; parametric equations
*) Sequences; indeterminate forms; improper integrals
*) Infinite series

As can be seen, the content is routine, both in order and in topics.
Therefore, the obvious question to ask is, "What if anything, differentiates this book from the other calculus books?" There is no overwhelming answer to this question, just a few minor differentiating factors.

*) There is not a great deal of time spent under any heading resembling "Using technology." A few problems at the end of the sections are noted with a calculator symbol, but there is no time spent on teaching how an item of technology is used to solve the calculus problems. While others may not agree, in my opinion this is a major positive. The goal is to teach the principles of calculus. With the large number of topics that need to be introduced in the first two semesters, and the difficulties that some of the students have, spending time on technology solutions is largely a waste of time.
*) This book contains only single variable calculus. This makes it easier on the students as calculus books are rapidly reaching the point where they could be used as weights by members of the football team.
*) The authors do not engage in exercise overkill, where the exercises at the end of the sections seem to go on and one. Simply adding additional exercises that cover the same material is not an improvement.

As a consequence of these positive aspects that differentiate it, this is a book that I will consider adopting the next time that I am scheduled to teach calculus.

wonderful calc book for motivated
Had no experience in calc until freshman year, where I learned from this book. My teachers for Calc I and II both commented about how they felt this was the clearest most concise one variable book they'd taught from. Without a doubt, this book is taught at a very high level. The math isn't about manipulating equations, but building theoretical understanding and providing a solid background for future math study. My university offered two first year calc courses, and this book was used for the one which was intended for expected science/math majors. Through the semesters I spent a lot of time with this book, and while I haven't studied calc with any other real textbook, I have had nothing but great results from this book and would immediately recommend it. Just a word of warning, however; if you do not spend enough time with a text such as this, you will never be able to appreciate what distinguishes it from other books. Be prepared to take your time with the sections.

tries to keep everything a secret from you
At my school, this book was used for the general calculus class, and I hated it.If you've never seen a proof before, this book is confusing.The examples are unclear and not explained.It just sort of does something and doesn't explain what it did or why, almost as if it's trying to keep everything a secret from you.I think professors and higher-level students like this book, but it's not very friendly to beginner calculus students.

Great Book.
I got this book (eigth edition) in 1998 and it took me several years to fully appreciate it's contents.I'm not sure what's changed in the 9th besides reordering the problems.This book is for beginners of calculus, but it assumes that a certain level of mathematical maturity has been reached.The authors assume you understand mathematics, not just manipulating equations.The proofs are not that hard to understand IF you understand the mathematical argument.

When I first started this book, it made very little sense.Persistance paid off for me and it will pay off for you.You will obtain a deeper understanding of calculus that won't go away after you complete the course.If you're having difficulty understanding the material in this book, you need to take a step back and visualize what the book is saying.As the book says in the beginning, calculus is just high school math with limits.

The solutions manual is useful if you get stumped.

very helpful supplement
Despite the highly theoretical way of writing, this book acts as an excellent supplement either as a review, or as part of a class. The examples are concise and clear. There are many examples detailing how a certain problem should be done.

The problems at the end of each section vary between relatively easy and incredibly difficult. ... Read more

Product Description
Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again!Virtually all testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events are included. Cram101 Textbook Outlines gives all of the outlines, highlights, notes for your textbook with optional online practice tests. Only Cram101 Out ... Read more

Product Description
A revised and updated presentation of calculus with applications to engineering and the sciences. Changes include an early treatment of the calculus of the trigonometric functions, an increased use of Riemann definition of the integral, the introduction of several numerical techniques, an early chapter on mathematical modeling, expanded and balanced exercise sets, suggested procedures for problem solving, revised proofs, and additional examples. Chapter 13 is contained in both part I and part II. ... Read more

Product Description
A new revision of this successful classic text known for its elegant writing style, precision and perfect balance of theory and applications. This Ninth Edition is refined to offer students an even clearer understanding of calculus and insight into mathematics. It includes a wealth of rich problem sets which give relevance to calculus for students. Salas/Hille/Etgen is recognized for its mathematical integrity, accuracy, and clarity. Key features that make this text an outstanding learning tool include: 

 * Precision and Clarity:  Emphasis on mathematical exposition -- an accurate and understandable treatment of topics.

*  Accessibility:  Completely accessible to the beginning calculus student without sacrificing approximate mathematics.

* Balance of Theory and Applications:  Problems drawn from the sciences and engineering are used to motivate calculus concepts which are then applied to a variety of disciplines through examples and exercises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Meh, I've seen better.
Not as descriptive as I would like, but it's a pretty book. You might have to dig around for a better explanation on some topics.

Typical coverage, not as rigorous as some other books, no "using technology" sections, I would use it as a text
This book is a continuation of"Calculus: One Variable" by the same authors. Therefore, it starts on page 706 with chapter 12. However, since the material is the traditional coverage for the third semester course in calculus, it is possible to use this book if you didn't use their single variable calculus book. It may not be easy, if your two-semester sequence in single variable calculus did not get through all the topics, then some filler would be required.
In terms of content, calculus books that cover either single variable or multi-variable calculus all have the same coverage. The topic differences that you see between them are very small. All have exercises at the end of each section with answers either to the even or the odd numbered ones included in an appendix. With one exception, this book is no different from the pack in that regard. The exception is in the number of exercises at the end of the sections. Some authors seem to think that they are engaged in an arms race regarding the number of exercises they include. So much so that it becomes overkill. Salas and company are just about right in the number of exercises they put at the ends of the sections.
The method of presentation is an explanation of the new concept(s) followed by an example/solution pair. A theorem/proof pair is rarer in this book than in others. Most of the time the authors are content to simply give a formula and then use it rather than present a more formal proof. This is not necessarily wrong, if you are interested in getting your students to the point that they can solve calculus problems then this is ideal. However, if you want to be more rigorous in your presentation, then you most likely will find this book lacking.
One feature that is left out is one that I am strongly in favor of. There is very little in the way of "using technology." I find problems that rely on a calculator or a symbolic math program to be unnecessary filler. I find it so difficult to cover all of the material that should be included in the three semester calculus sequence that I avoid the technology option. While I agree that some concepts can be better illustrated with a dynamic diagram, I don't believe that such a diagram is essential to the understanding. By avoiding what can sometimes be considered the crutch of technology, I can concentrate on filling their mind with calculus concepts rather than having them learn a sequence of buttons to push or mouse clicks to execute.
... Read more