Applied Calculus for Scientists and Engineers: A Journey in Dialogues

Applied Calculus for Scientists and Engineers is an invitation to an intellectual journey into a discipline that has profoundly influenced the development of Western Civilization for more than three hundred years. The author takes a functional pedagogical approach through the use of a dialogue-based writing style that is uniquely suited to make transparent the essential problem-solving strategies. As the text follows Simplicio and Sophie in their struggle to understand the teacher's explanations, students will find that many of their own difficulties are adequately addressed and elegantly resolved. The text is centered on the idea that good teaching must bring knowledge to life. True to this premise, the author has taken great care to present all mathematical subjects within the context of stimulating applications that cover a wide range of topics in science and engineering. Also included are engaging discussions of the historical and philosophical background that gave the discipline of calculus its present shape. Indeed, it is the central focus on applications combined with a commitment to very high standards of expository writing that sets this book apart from the competition. Volume 1 covers differentiation, integration, special functions, methods of integration, Taylor approximation, and differential equations, and Volume 2 covers linear algebra, systems of differential equations, and vector calculus.

Frank Blume is a professor of mathematics at John Brown University who has been teaching undergraduate mathematics courses to students in science and engineering for the past 25 years.