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ISBN: 978-0-9795199-0-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 20079264476

“(…) I believe that the author has very successfully accomplished his goals and that the book is ideally suited for readers needing a calculus refresher.

For the key results, the author briefly, and often cleverly, explains the ideas, but it must be understood by the mathematically-inclined reader that details will be missing and subtleties overlooked. But what is given helps explain why a result is true and often helps remember the result. (…)

All in all, this is a fine addition to the calculus literature that should help many students and ex-students of calculus as well as beginning instructors of calculus.”

Kenneth A. Ross, MAA Reviews

For the complete review, please click on Read This! MAA Reviews

Calculus for the Forgetful is one of the shortest calculus books available: it can be read in a couple of days if needed. Yet it provides a concise treatment of single variable calculus, along with many exercises and more than 130 examples. Informal, intuitive language is used to present the theory in a nutshell.

Calculus for the Forgetful is an ideal complement to any of the comprehensive calculus texts.  It can be used by students currently taking a calculus course, and by those who would like to review and organize their knowledge. 

This book is small enough to be carried around to other classes in which calculus is used, which is ideal for those who plan to take classes in physics, chemistry, economics, engineering, or more advanced mathematics courses. Those who are preparing for standardized tests will also benefit from the book.

It is very valuable for students to have a general understanding of why various statements are true. This book helps them reach this goal. Some topics are omitted for the sake of brevity, and the book is focused on the core ideas, with just a few digressions here and there.

Calculus for the Forgetful is designed to help all those who study calculus, but students who major in areas such as mathematics or mathematics education, economics, engineering, physics or chemistry, will be especially glad to read this book.

In short, the book can serve as a reference, a standalone review or a supplement to a textbook.

In addition, the book can be useful to those who teach calculus, as it includes multiple warnings regarding typical mistakes made by students, which can be passed along to them in class.

WOJCIECH K. KOSEK has a Ph.D. in mathematics (1996) and currently teaches at Colorado College. He lives with his family in Colorado Springs.

To download a PDF file with a sample of the book click on

SAMPLE

The best option to order the book is usually amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.

Libraries and bookstores can place orders with Baker and Taylor, NACSCORP or directly with the publisher.  

To receive the discount schedule for libraries and bookstore, please do one of the following:

a) send a message to sales@magimath.com, 

b) send a fax to 719-260-8635,

c) send a letter write to:

If you are a teach mathematics at a college or secondary level, you may be eligible receive a complimentary review copy of the book. To make a request, please send an email to sales@magimath.com

As a new publisher, we expect to have more titles available in the future. However, at this time we offer just one title.

Authors: if you are interested in publishing with MagiMath please contact editor@magimath.com 

More Reviews:

"A beautiful little book with substance."

Mike Siddoway, Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Colorado College

"This book is the perfect response to the modern calculus textbook that provides so much information that students can't see the forest for the trees.  It focuses tightly on building understanding of central concepts by the use of intuitive arguments and well chosen examples.  Particularly effective are the examples that address common misunderstandings and mistakes by demonstrating what not to do."

Kurt Cogswell, Professor and Head, SDSU Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

"This book has all the right scaffolding to hold up the building that is calculus. Small, easy to carry and has everything you need in a calculus reference. Plus, while covering the basics nicely, there are expert comments included for those who are interested, and they are marked by a different type-setting so that the user who just needs to get in and get out can easily skip these parts. Perfect for the calculus 2, 3, physics, engineering, or other student who needs the occassional calculus refresher/reference."

Dr. Amelia Taylor, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, Colorado College

"I'm really impressed with the way this book handles complicated and subtle calculus ideas in an accessible way. I hadn't taken calculus in quite some time when I first looked at it, and it really did jog my memory! If you're looking for a good resource that isn't a textbook (or that doesn't pack the price of a textbook but covers the same material), this is it!"
Courtney Gibbons, graduate student

"Calculus for the Forgetful by Wojciech Kosek is an excellent short calculus book.  The author fundamentally achieves the goals outlined in the preface.  The prose highlights the “core ideas and concepts” of the subject.  Enhancement with proofs and examples is natural and easy.  I certainly would consider using this as a primary text if supplemented with a collection of exercises, problems, and projects. 

I am used to teaching calculus in a very intensive format in which each class lasts 3½ weeks.  The professor must “trim all the fat” (some say “execute a full liposuction”) in order to achieve success.  Thus, I naturally favor a shorter treatment than the usual encyclopedic calculus text.  Kosek’s effort certainly is the best I have come across.  I will recommend it to my students as a supplement to text adopted by my department.  In fact, I will suggest they buy and keep Calculus for the Forgetful and sell the regular text to a subsequent student."

Frederick Tinsley, Professor of mathematics, Colorado College, a coauthor of "Introduction to Linear Models and Statistical Inference", Wiley 2005.

Errata:

In spite of our best efforts, there are a few typographical errors which made their way into the first printing of the book. (We are grateful to all those who brought these to our attention, especially to Professor Kenneth Ross).

Click here to download a 1 page PDF file with the corrections.

Last Updated on September 27, 2007.