Scared of Calculus - Required to pass Differential Calculus as part of my Computer science major

Posted by ke3pup on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by ke3pup
Published on 2010-05-05T12:54:27Z Indexed on 2010/05/05 12:58 UTC
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Hi guys

I'm finishing my Computer science degree in university but my fear of maths (lack of background knowledge) made me to leave all my maths units til' the very end which is now. i either take them on and pass or have to give up. I've passed all my programming units easily but knowing my poor maths skills won't do i've been staying clear of the maths units.

I have to pass Differential Calculus and Linear Algebra first. With a help of book named "Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction" i'm finding myself on track and i think i can pass the Linear Algebra unit.

But with differential calculus i can't find a book to help me. They're either too advanced or just too simple for what i have to learn. The things i'm required to know for this units are:

  • Set notation, the real number line, Complex numbers in cartesian form.
  • Complex plane, modulus.
  • Complex numbers in polar form. De Moivre’s Theorem.
  • Complex powers and nth roots.
  • Definition of ei? and ez for z complex.
  • Applications to trigonometry.
  • Revision of domain and range of a function
  • Working in R3. Curves and surfaces. Functions of 2 variables.
  • Level curves.Partial derivatives and tangent planes.
  • The derivative as a difference quotient.
  • Geometric significance of the derivative.
  • Discussion of limit.
  • Higher order partial derivatives. Limits of f(x,y). Continuity.
  • Maxima and minima of f(x,y).
  • The chain rule. Implicit differentiation.
  • Directional derivatives and the gradient.
  • Limit laws, l’Hoˆpital’s rule, composition law.
  • Definition of sinh and cosh and their inverses.
  • Taylor polynomials. The remainder term.
  • Taylor series.

Is there a book to help me get on track with the above? Being a student i can't buy too many books hence why i'm looking for a book that covers topics I need to know. The University library has a fairly limited collection which i took as loan but didn't find useful as it was too complex.

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