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Re: Calculus texts

On 29 Dec 96 at 7:34, nguilber wrote:

You might want to check out the Harvard Calculus Project before
diving
whole-hog into your own calculus-reform effort. The folks at HCP -
who number university, junior-college, and high-school math teachers
in their ranks - seem to be the mathematical counterparts of the
reform efforts in the physics education community. They have worked
on precalculus, calculus, and multivariable calculus texts,
emphasizing understanding at the expense of a plethora of 'template'
examples that can simply be parroted. Wiley is their


yes, this is a good and very different text. I team-taught in a
math/physics/chemistry/engineering course that used HCP. The book's
problems are not like the few examples in the book. Students have to
think. As a result, they complain bitterly about the unhelpful book!

I've had the same experience with physics books that are spare on
examples. The Chabay/Sherwood E&M text (intro level) has the stuff
that's usually done as examples as guided "left to the reader"
problems (with full answers available). Weaker students used to
parrotting complained, and the better students loved it.

Another spare intro physics book is the Understanding Basic Mechanics
by Reif. Few examples, great problems. Very short.

All of these are published by Wiley. (Which is interesting of
itself.)

JEG

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John E. Gastineau
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