Posted by
Waski_the_Squirrel on Friday, October 16, 2009 2:45:41 AM
Apostol CalculusLast year I was surprised to be told I would be teaching Calculus. To add to the fun, I was told to make it dual-credit. I had to quickly made a decision about a text and I chose Gilbert Strang's
Calculus. I even wrote a
blog entry about why I picked that book. The advantages of that book still hold, but teaching from it exposed me to a number of disadvantages as well.
This year, I found some cheap copies of a different book and decided to try it out. The book is Tom Apostol's
Calculus. It's a terrifying book. It's very rigorous, very college level, and very intimidating. I also discovered that it's incredibly readable. I find myself getting distracted from planning lessons by this book. Seriously, I find myself idly reading it rather than plan lessons. It's well written.
This book is far beyond the high school level. In fact, it isn't even an ordinary introductory Calculus text. Yet, the darn thing is so readable that its advanced level doesn't seem to matter. As a teacher, I have to make some decisions about presentation and what to cut, but my students are doing well with this book.
In addition to its readability, one big advantage of this book is that it answers the question "why". It tells use why we do the things we do in Calculus and why they work. It doesn't just present equations and formulas, it explains why we use these equations and formulas, then it proves that they are true.
Interestingly, this is the only Calculus book I've run across that starts with integration. Most start with differentiation because it's easier. Apostol hits integration right away. Then he jumps to limits and derivatives, and then he comes back to more advanced techniques of integration. I haven't decided if I like or dislike this, but it seems to be working.
Anyway, I'm tired, but I wrote this entry because I got to thinking that I've been using a text that many college professors avoid due to difficulty...and my high school students are getting it. I won't claim exceptional teaching ability. I will, however, claim an exceptional book that helps me do a good job.
I don't like many textbooks. This one is one of the few I like.
Apostol Calculus
A Review of Apostol Calculus