This book seems more than adequate for those who already have a hold on advanced mathematics and want a comprehensive guide to a new subject. The layout is utilitarian and serves well enough...

Although this book is used in introductory differential equation courses, it contains too few worked examples to work as an introductory text. The student who uses this book should have some (not a lot, but some) background on the subject, even if they get that knowledge from the professor's lecture. My professor gave formulas for reduction of order and variation of parameters that were easier to use than those given in the book. Then again, he explained the topic so well that I hardly had to use the book except for homework, and I still got an A+. The book is well written, but perhaps better suited for an intermediate differential equations course.

I have to admit I haven't read this book in detail - just browsed throught it at a bookstore. But I have studied a number of other ODE books, including Boyce and DiPrima, and looked at this to clarify a bit of confusion on the method of undetermined coefficients. It was very clear, clearer than Boyce. Also there seemed to be numerous examples of various methods, and a wide selection of methods in both ODE's and PDE's for an elementary textbook. My general impression was that it is rather similar to Boyce, but even clearer. Perhaps these books are a bit advanced for some beginning students though?

This book contains Edward de Bono's thought on our current system of thinking. He believes that our current system of thinking is excellent, but not enough. He believes we focus too much upon judgement, rather than exploring a subject. He believes we focus too much at looking back to the past rather than designing a way forward.

These are all points with which I wholeheartedly agree. So why did I give this book a low rating? I've only read a few of de Bono's other books, however I can already state that 75% of this book was a rehash of older works. The book is very repetitive, and on numerous occasions he offers the same examples over and over again, albeit in different sections of the book.

How about the 25% that I hadn't seen before? Well, although there is new material, he covers it in a cursory fashion. He offers some new notations, some suggestions for design although I can't see any way to apply these to my thinking. If you haven't read any of de Bono's other books, then go grab them now! If you have read de Bono's other books, then you have already read this one. In summary I can't really recommend this book to anyone.

Come on, De Bono! if I hadn't managed to pick this for a couple of dollars in the discount bin I'd go for one star. De Bono says (in his book on wisdom) that the rules for mathematics don't change and so each of his books go over the same ground. But no one would explain the multiplication tables in every single one of their books, would they? If you nothing else from De Bono then maybe this is a good summary. Get 'Serious Creativity' instead though is my suggestion.

I am always surprised of how De Bono is suggesting new ways we can think in a more constructive way.
The book conbines critics of our default way of thinking and propose DESIGN THINKING as a way out. Excellent suggestion and I belief there is more to come in future to complete the development of the concepts placed in this book.
De Bono, thanks and go on! :-)

This book is nothing but a minimally researched--if at all--set of the author's fantasies. Much of T.E. Lawrence's life, after Arabia, is shrouded in mystery; a book on the reality of this period of Lawrence's life could be valuable. This book, however, is a mishmash of fictitious characters, events and psycho-sexual idiocies, all springing from the author's psyche--not Lawrence's In fact, the Lawrence of this book is as fictitious as many of the other characters in the book. Do not buy..

This book is NOT about T.E.Lawrence, but about David Stevens himself. The author used Lawrence to make his book popular. What a shame!

T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) easily qualifies as one of the more fascinating and controversial military figures in Britain's long history of idiosyncratic soldiers. A junior officer in military intelligence, Lawrence was posted as an advisor to Arab troops fighting to free their lands from Turkish rule as part of World War I. To the surprise of all who encountered the short, shy Englishman with the high squeaky voice, Lawrence became an outstanding strategist. He also campaigned tirelessly for Arab nationalist causes. Victorious in war, he was unsuccessful in securing Arab rights in the face of Franco-British political actions. Frustrated, he spent the rest of his life as an enlisted man under several pseudonyms in the Army and the Royal Air Force. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1935. David Stevens provides a window into the tortured consciousness of the postwar Lawrence-a man haunted by his failure to confront his homosexuality, his inability to atone for his political failures on behalf of Arab causes, and his impotence in overcoming his illegitimacy and difficult childhood. His agony is told through his letters and the narratives of a diverse group of friends and admirers. Stevens is a gifted writer (Breaker Morant and Merlin are on his resume) and he offers a sensitive and sympathetic account of this haunted and unhappy figure. His subject will never be an easy man to define but Stevens has done as fine a job as one could hope for such a complex and private person. Incomplete portrayals of two personalities important to the story (King Feisal and Lawrence's mother) stand out when contrasted with Stevens's well-rounded descriptions of other major, and even most minor, characters. As a novelist, Stevens succeeds where most biographers have failed. Beautifully written, and an interesting story to boot. John R. Vallely, for the Historical Novels Review

It is an odd experience to read a book about being interesting that is neither inspiring nor interesting itself. The text mainly consists of excercises to get the reader used to developing concepts or alternatives around given information, which the author says is the basis of creating interest. Each excercise takes one page, then the author give his answer, which is almost always tedious and dull. Sorry, but I don't feel this book is likley to be avidly read by many people!

Boring, dull, banal...why do people write such dribble, why do publishers publish it. The last few DeBono books have been nothing more than vain exercises in self-gratification. This one may be the worst. You get the feeling the author has a writing quota or something. Pathetic.

There are different sorts of interest.

In this book de Bono tries to get the reader to train his mind to look at things in a fresh and unusual way. This isn't going to please everyone because some people are quite happy with the way they view the world.

Reading this book and doing the exercises has made me a more interesting conversationalist, and of course there is nothing more satisfying than being the most interesting person around a dinner table.

It appears I'm the only person not from ithaca to review this book. I assume they're using this text at Cornell, or ithaca college, but I used this text at Texas A&M. Perhaps it was the instructor, but i didn't think that this book was that bad. Some of the proofs and explainations and examples were pretty lousy, but the assignment problems were pretty diverse, and i thought most of the explainations and examples were adequate. What i'm trying to say is that this text isn't that bad....

Granted, the semester is young, but so far this book's not too bad. Especially considering last semester I had to endure part of the McCallum/Hughes-Hallet series of calculus books for Multivariable/Vector Calculus. In comparison, this book has far more practice problems where you just work out the equations, rather than having to contend with applications and word problems while still wrestling with the concepts. While the examples are a little convoluted, at least they draw parallels to the problems, something the McCallum et al. series does not. In short, this may not be the best math book, but it could be a lot worse.

This is the required text for a math class I am currently taking. While the book is not spectacular, it is written at an elementary level and it is not mired in proofs, so one can learn the material simply by opening the book and reading. A definite strength of this book is that it covers a wide range of problems, from ordinary DE's to some PDE's. But it also includes whole chapters on applications to mechanical and electrical systems(circuits), as well as numerical methods and Laplace Transformations. The book is clearly written as an introductory text, but it covers a broad range of material applicable to higher level courses.

If you are buying this book because it is required for your course, I strongly suggest you cancel out of the class and find another that uses a better book. If you must take the course with this book, by sympathy to you. Dugopolski's College Algebra and Trig is vastly superior.

This book is full of confusing and inadequate explanations. It is infuriating in places. Typical is the sample solution on p. 544 to a system of 3 linear equations. It is a series of minimially explained steps that is a devil to follow, and does not emphasize the basic underlying technique of eliminating variables.

It relies on graphing calculators. This is fact, not criticism, since such reliance is in the area of personal preference. Some like to use calculators as an aid, other's feel it hinders learning.

There are much better books on the market!

I am very intelgent. I am a geneys. I know math much well. I read book. This book is extremely flammabul. It hurt you. I know becuse i sneese on it. My sneese in fire. I am a draqon. I burn it. It no good for genyes. The book is hot. Don't buy it.

Precalculus with Limits, unlike other precalculus books, easily teaches and reviews the basic mathematic background needed for further studies in the area of Calculus. The book contains many examples and less theoretical explanations - briefly outlining how to solve certain problems and then practicing those theories with many examples. Additionally there are plenty examples for economics students, engineering students and students of physics. Simply a great book!

This book is OK if you like books which are easy to read.
But I believe it uses too many words to tell too little. If you are a student at a serious university, it might just not be enough to pass the course.

If you are already used to program with the OO paradigm, this book is not for you. It's a first approach to what is oo programming and there are only generalities. The major default of this book is it's too old. Java is not even listed in the history of OO languages. UML was not yet invented, and a lot of concepts explained here have changed or are now out of date. The concept is good because it focuses on learning OOD and makes it distinct from learning an OO language which only is the tool. But if you are a beginner, you can find far better book. Not enough examples in this one. And the given examples are very simple and with no interest. This book only gives you a broad picture of what OO is and never really enter in the detail. Nothing really concrete.

This "solution manual" is a total waste of money. Only a few problems each chapter, and most of them are the easy ones. Save your money. You can spend the same amount and get the REA problem solvers book which will serve you a million times better.

I recommend not even looking at this book! It only solves the problems that are in red in the text book and usually there is only 5 or so! Don't waste your money or time!

After trying to use the associated textbook for 2 semesters without the solutions guide, I appreciate what it has to offer. I'd like it to contain solutions for all the problems, but then it would cost as much as the textbook.
I find it particularly useful for deciphering the "answers to odd problems" given in the back of the textbook, especially when the authors transform trig functions and factor polynomials for seemingly no reason.

This "biography/criticism" of John Donne does little more than reveal Mr. Edwards' own prejudices. As a theologian, Mr. Edwards showcases his contempt for Donne's early life and work, and uses Donne's later sermons and religious poems to display his own religious erudition. Mr. Edwards appears to see Donne as nothing but an Anglican apologist. The book shows limited understanding of historical or literary criticism, and scant sympathy with Donne's very human struggles. This book merely reinforces the already muddled body of Donne scholarship.