It provides wide range of practical applications, with plain English, colorful pages, step by step from basic to advanced approach. It has got answers at the back. I recommend it`s Instructor`s solutions manual as well...

This book is just very good. It is a top-quality, superbly on target solution for end users of mathematics. I had selected and subsequently used it as a textbook for a freshman calculus course aimed at prospective economics majors at an Ivy League college. My goal was to present a broad scope of the fundamental concepts of applied mathematics relevant to the social sciences, while keeping the exposition at the basic level of mathematical sophistication. Given the objective, one needs a textbook that would replace most proofs with carefully chosen exemplifications, rely on technically undemanding exercises, but enable the teacher to introduce concepts at a lively pace and tie them to interesting applications. This textbook meets all the requirements.

Our course used essentially only the more advanced parts of the book. The selection of topics was systematized by the idea of staying focused on some of the basic mathematical methods designed for solving broadly understood problems of optimization, extrapolation, and prediction. Formally, students were required to learn algorithmic skills, like finding extrema of functions of one and several variables, linear programming, basic routines for ordinary differential equations and Markov chains. Primary emphasis was put on understanding the differences and similarities between continuous and discrete, deterministic and random. The book served us well and we felt truly rewarded by its amazing collection of well selected, well thought-through real-life applications. I am enthusiastic about this book and so were very many of my students.

I used this textbook in my first calculus class. The applied calculus class showed me some of the things this stuff can actually be used for. The authors and editors have combined excellent graphics, and outstanding homework problems. If you are a gluton for punishment from word problems, or if you need help at the most basic level of calculus, this is the book you'll need.

This book may be expensive but is really helpful, not only in class but also as a reference or as a study guide. The language used in this book is simple and the graphics and images easy to understand. For me trigonometry was always a pain and I got an A in the class, so I decided to write a review for future students.

Did you like The Matrix? If you did you will love this book, it is filled with Matricies (the plural version of matrix). So buying this book is like having all three of the Matrix movies at once. All the excitement and all of knowledge, with this book you are "The One" and will never have to wonder what the Matrix is again. If you don't like the Matrix maybe you have wondered what the answer to f(x,y)= 4x + 5y - 6 is. Well I'm not going to ruin the ending of the book for you but the answer can be found in the back of this book(pg. A-90). Oh the suspense!!! Either way this book is a great read and if you are taking the class related to this book, you will never pass without it.
~Tyrell

Dialogues in Arab Politics has a lot on the importance of norms and social structure in international relations. Michael N. Barnett analyzes the norms and social structure at a regional context. Like Stephen M. Walt's The Origins of Alliances Barnett takes his case from the Middle East. He examines three quarter centuries of the Arab politics from the constructivist perspective; hence he re-conceptualizes the history of Arab politics. In so doing, he insists on norms and symbols of Arab politics, normative fragmentation among Arabs, symbolic exchanges and social processes. He puts norms and identities as the critical variables in shaping state interests by examining the Arab politics in that process. He defines dialogues as the times the Arab states begin to discuss about the desired regional order. The discussion is circumscribed by norms of Arabism and sovereignty. Barnett defines Arabism as source of both Arab identity and interests. He also deems norm of Arabism as expression of their interests. Norms of Arabism have been also used as an instrument by one state in order to manipulate and/control the foreign policies of other Arab states. In this respect, norms can be both constraining as well as instrumental factors. Norms and identities have also greatly influenced the Arabs in their unification goal as well as their relations with the West and Israel. Pan-Arabism was relevant from the Baghdad Pact to the 1967 War and it declined its force after the 1967 war and it disappeared from the agenda by the end of the Gulf War. Then the norm of Arabism was replaced by norm of sovereignty in Arab politics. The normative shift eventually changed the foreign policies of the Arab states that they begun to focus on state interests not on Arab interests. Overall, Dialogues in Arab Politics makes a great contribution to the growing constructivist literature in recent years.

As stated above, Barnett was a staffer on the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in 1994 and thus had a first hand view of the workings/failure of the Secretariat, the Security Council, the United Nations and the international community as a whole.

Unlike so many other books about Rwanda, Barnett refuses to simply write off the UN or the international community as uncaring or unconcerned about the unfolding genocide in Rwanda. Rather, he shows that those involved were deeply concerned but trapped by their own rules and internal bureaucratic logic, leading eventually to paralysis and inaction.

Coming fast on the heels of Somalia and Bosnia, Rwanda was left to implode because everyone involved operated on a logical/ethical plane seemingly far removed from the actual humanitarian crisis on the ground. With the UN overstretched and concerned about its reputation/survival, the members states of the security council unwilling to send troops or supplies into a raging anarchy, and UN rules dictating when peacekeeping and intervention were justified, Rwanda was left to fend for itself.

Barnett does a great job of presenting the facts and their corresponding arguments and explaining just how impossible a situation the UN was facing. As he says, none of this justifies UN inaction, but it does help us to understand how and why the world stood by as nearly 1 million people were slaughtered.

This book would not serve as a good introduction of the genocide itself, as the focus is really on the United Nations and its handling of the situation. If it is the actual genocide you want to learn about, read another book ("We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" is a great introduction, as is Fergal Keane's "Season of Blood.") But if you want to understand how and why the international community so gravely failed Rwanda, this is the best book available.

I consider myself a pretty well-educated man but I have to admit something. All my life I've been completely unaware that there was anything else, in terms of Mythology, besides the Classic Greek/Roman "sagas."

The Eygptians are in a class by themselves. It is so hard to believe that one Egyptian King could only utter 675 words. And I think how fortunate we are and how we absolutely "demolish" the English language.

I am glad that this book was written for young adults (I'm very far from that age) maybe they would become aware of how far language has come and begin to have some regard for our own language.

I am so impressed!!

"The Cat Dancer"

I wanted a book that would provide me a readable introduction to the world of particle physics. My days at university are a distant memory and I didn't want to wade through reams of notes or a modern text book just so I could satisfy my mild interest in knowing a little more about the subject. The Charm of Strange Quarks was just what I needed. Not only did it provide me with the theory, but also stimulated my interest by giving some historical background. The theory is presented in a simple structured manner, but is also sufficiently challenging to keep me humble in any desire I may have to become an instant particle physicist.

My only two minor irritations: Firstly I did not find the sequence of presenting the theory and the use of Appendices helpful. It made me feel that I was being shown one thing then before I got really familiar with it I would be whisked off to be shown something else and expected to put it all together myself. Secondly I would have liked a couple of new side bar type boxes to be included headed "... and in plain English!" and "This is what it means to you". The side bars and boxes that are included are very interesting and helpful.

I have no idea what a true particle physicist would think of the book, but for me it is exactly what I was looking for and will remain on my bookshelf for further exploration when I feel like taking my brain out for some exercise.

I found this book easy to read and fun. Ive gone back to it several times and still enjoy it each time I open the pages.
With only a highschool backround but an interest in science, I would recommend this book for those who are curious about the world around us but dont have the time or the math skills to grind through a deeper introduction.

This is just the kind of Calculus textbook for business students. It is clearly explained and illustrated with many examples. There are many application exapmles with worked solutions and plenty of exercises to practise.

I used to hate calculus until I got my hands on this book. Its a piece of good work for maths idiots like me!