Technical Mathematics

This textbook has been in constant use since 1980, and this edition represents the first major revision of this text since the second edition. It was time to select, make hard choices of material, polish, refine, and fill in where needed. Much has been rewritten to be even cleaner and clearer, new features have been introduced, and some peripheral topics have been removed.

The authors continue to provide real-world, technical applications that promote intuitive reader learning. Numerous fully worked examples and boxed and numbered formulas give students the essential practice they need to learn mathematics. Computer projects are given when appropriate, including BASIC, spreadsheets, computer algebra systems, and computer-assisted drafting. The graphing calculator has been fully integrated and calculator screens are given to introduce computations. Everything the technical student may need is included, with the emphasis always on clarity and practical applications.

Paul A. Calter is a Visiting Scholar at Dartmouth College and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Vermont Technical College. He is a book review editor of the Nexus Network Journal and has interests in both the fields of mathematics and art. He received his B.S. from Cooper Union and his M.S. from Columbia University, both in engineering, and his Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Norwich University. Calter has taught mathematics for over twenty-five years and is the author of ten mathematics textbooks and a mystery novel. He has been an active painter and sculptor since 1968, has had many solo shows and participated in dozens of group art shows, and has permanent outdoor sculptures at a number of locations. Calter developed a course called "Geometry in Art & Architecture," which he has taught at Dartmouth College and Vermont Technical College, and he has taught at Dartmouth College and Vermont Technical College, and he has given workshops and lectures on the subject. Calter's own art is concerned with astronomical and geometric themes; he searches for a link between the organic and geometric basis of beauty, what has been called the philosopher's stone of aesthetics.