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In general, there is a perception that Calculus is an extremely difficult subject, probably because
the required number of good teachers and good books are not available. We know that books
cannot replace teachers, but we are of the opinion that, good books can definitely reduce
dependence on teachers, and students can gain more confidence by learning most of the
concepts on their own. In the process of helping students to learn Calculus, we have gone
through many books on the subject, and realized that whereas a large number of good books are
available at the graduate level, there is hardly any book available for introducing the subject to
beginners. The reason for such a situation can be easily understood by anyone who knows the
subject of Calculus and hence the practical difficulties associated with the process of learning
the subject. In the market hundreds of books are available on Calculus. All these books contain a
large number of important solved problems. Besides, the rules for solving the problems and the
list of necessary formulae are given in the books, without discussing anything about the basic
concepts involved. Of course, such books are useful for passing the examination(s), but
Calculus is hardly learnt from these books. Initially, the coauthors had compiled conceptoriented
notes for systematic studies in differential and integral Calculus, intended for
beginners. These notes were used by students, in school- and undergraduate-level courses.
The response and the appreciation experienced from the students and their parents encouraged
us to make these notes available to the beginners. It is due to the efforts of our friends and wellwishers
that our dream has now materialized in the form of two independent books: Part I for
Differential Calculus and Part II for Integral Calculus. Of course there are some world class
authors who have written useful books on the subject at introductory level, presuming that the
reader has the necessary knowledge of prerequisites. Some such books are What is Calculus
About? (By ProfessorW.W. Sawyer), Teach Yourself Calculus (By P. Abbott, B.A), Calculus
Made Easy (By S.P. Thomson), and Calculus Explained (By W.J. Reichmann). Any person
with some knowledge of Calculus will definitely appreciate the contents and the approach of the
authors.However, a reader will be easily convinced that most of the beginners may not be able to
get (from these books) the desired benefit, for various reasons. From this point of view, both
parts (Part I and Part II) of our book would prove to be unique since it provides a comprehensive
material on Calculus, for the beginners. First six chapters of Part I would help the beginner to
come up to the level, so that one can easily learn the concept of limit, which is in the foundation
of calculus. The purpose of these works is to provide the basic (but solid) foundation of
Calculus to beginners. The books aim to show them the enjoyment in the beauty and power
of Calculus and develop the ability to select proper material needed for their studies in any
technical and scientific field, involving Calculus. |
