How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide

“Comic opera meets college math in this amusing and edifying roller coaster of an introduction to calculus.”
―Ivars Peterson, author of The Mathematical Tourist

Written by three gifted―and funny―teachers, How to Ace Calculus provides humorous and readable explanations of the key topics of calculus without the technical details and fine print that would be found in a more formal text. Capturing the tone of students exchanging ideas among themselves, this unique guide also explains how calculus is taught, how to get the best teachers, what to study, and what is likely to be on exams―all the tricks of the trade that will make learning the material of first-semester calculus a piece of cake. Funny, irreverent, and flexible, How to Ace Calculus shows why learning calculus can be not only a mind-expanding experience but also fantastic fun.

Colin Adams is the Thomas T. Read Professor of Mathematics at Williams College, where he has taught since 1985. He has produced a number of books that make mathematics more accessible and relatable, including How to Ace Calculus and its sequel, How to Ace the Rest of Calculus; Riot at the Calc Exam and other Mathematically Bent Stories; and Zombies & Calculus. Colin co-wrote and appears in the videos "The Great Pi vs. E Debate" and "Derivative vs. Integral: the Final Smackdown."

Adams received his undergraduate degree from MIT and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. He had held various grants for research in the area of knot theory and low-dimensional topology and has published numerous research articles. He received the Haimo National Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) in 1998, and the Robert Foster Cherry Teaching Award in 2003. Adams also served as MAA Polya Lecturer (1998-2000), and as Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer (2000-2002).