Jennifer Ouellette

What this book is not:
1) A diary of the author's attempt to overcome her fear and loathing of calculus (save for the introduction and the epilogue).
2) An introduction to calculus.

What this book is:
1) A list of applications for calculus not unlike Week One of a calculus syllabus or the introduction to a calculus textbook.
2) A collection of anecdotes and facts about major figures (and some often overlooked figures and a couple of contemporary interviewees) throughout the history of calculus and physics, plus illustrative events to which calculus could have/should have/had been applied (like the tulip bubble market).

I think I was not the audience for the book, despite the catchy title, the charm of the author's writing style and our shared love of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. (I do think I'd like Ouellette's science articles and may end up checking out her other books.) I've already taken calculus and am aware of the variety of practical applications; I just really, really didn't grasp the concepts. So a book that gives only a quick and basic explanation of what a derivative is and then spends nearly 300 pages showing all the things a derivative could be used to find... was more frustrating than illuminating. Especially when the author in the introduction admits that The Complete Idiot's Guide to Calculus was too difficult for her initially and then unironically recommends it in the Appendix for anyone who wants to actually learn any math. This discovery resulted in some flailing around on my part, which led to putting down the book for a couple months before I decided to just power through it anyway, even if I didn't really get the calculus itself.

Also, the sine and cosine illustrations? Don't match up correctly. Not helpful, no matter how cute the little sine surfer dude is! (I mainly noticed because waves are the part of physics I'm most comfortable with -- I spent a whole semester on The Physics of Sound in college.) Bad illustrator, no biscuit.… (more)