Questions tagged [textbooks]

Questions about comparison of textbooks, the use of textbooks in mathematical education, requests about textbooks dealing with a specific topic in a specific way.

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Demarcated "Proof Idea"

Michael Sipser's textbook Introduction to the Theory of Computation (now 3rd ed.) includes for each major theorem, a demarcated Proof Idea of length a paragraph to more than a page, prior to ...
Joseph O'Rourke's user avatar
17 votes
7 answers
3k views

Do any middle-school texts indicate that irrationality requires proof?

I believe that most middle-school math curricula have at least a brief section about irrational numbers, in which students are taught (among other things) that $\sqrt{2}$ is irrational and $\pi$ is ...
Timothy Chow's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
68 views

Comparison of texbook for "how to write proofs"

I posted this question in the math stackexchange https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4681694/comparison-of-textbooks-on-how-to-write-proofs and one person suggested that I cross-post it here. I'...
underflow's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
163 views

Resources for teaching decimal numbers

I am currently teaching special classes to students whose ages range from 11 to 15 and there is quite a wide spectrum in their levels of maths. The lessons are given in English and we do not have a ...
user929304's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
218 views

Best category theory textbook for undergraduate students

Title is pretty self explanatory. All recommendations welcome. Comments and answers which reject the premise of the question will be met with eye rolling. If I don't see a good enough answer I'll have ...
cheyne's user avatar
  • 250
4 votes
1 answer
142 views

How do you describe your experience using OER textbooks for calculus?

If you have used commercial as well as OPENSTAX OER textbooks for calculus I would like to know about your experience. How would you compare the two? Were there any disadvantages to using OpenStax?
Maesumi's user avatar
  • 954
6 votes
0 answers
100 views

Is there ADA-compliance certification for mathematics text books?

What factors are there to consider when adopting a text as far as ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is concerned? Is there a certification? What do you look for in the digital version of the text? ...
Maesumi's user avatar
  • 954
4 votes
2 answers
356 views

Proof by Contradiction vs. Proof of Negation

In constructive mathematics we make a distinction between "proof of negation" and "proof by contradiction". You can read a great account of the difference in this blog post of ...
Steven Gubkin's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
107 views

Where can I find a summary of typical material (e.g., mathematics) taught in US elementaries and high schools?

The reasons for my question are complicated but basically I need information about different subjects, mostly languages (Eng, Spa, Fre), math, and sciences, as taught in different grades in elementary/...
Ascertained's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
108 views

Math curricula\programs or any experience using "The Road to Reality" as the\a primary textbook

Primarily a reference request, collaborator search-tips requests, and question-improvement request (including improveent by deletion and re-posting to more appropriate stack, meta, wiki, etc). Rank ...
Ayer AGG'TDd'E-A's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
149 views

About instructor's manual in math textbooks: principles, design, uses and impact

It is common that school math textbooks are supplemented with instructor's materials (answers, hints and guidelines). Are there scientific studies on how instructor's materials impact math teaching? ...
Humberto José Bortolossi's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
82 views

Suggestion for IB program Analysis and Approaches SL book?

What is the most suitable book for the IB program Analysis and Approaches SL for a student with significant weaknesses? I had suggested the book from HAESE Mathematics yet he finds it particularly ...
Athanasios Paraskevopoulos's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
179 views

Where to learn axiomatic geometry from Hilbert's axioms?

I have found that math is relative easy for me to study but I have problems in geometry. I often omit some obvious steps as I think the problem visually but not from axioms. What would help me for ...
guest's user avatar
  • 13
1 vote
0 answers
133 views

What is the text for "the other second-term course in analysis at MIT?"

My question comes from first few paragraphs of preface of "Analysis on Manifolds" by James R. Munkres, as excerpted below: A year-long course in real analysis is an essential part of the ...
zzzhhh's user avatar
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8 votes
6 answers
739 views

Why don't exercises ask readers to discover results themselves, before requiring proof? Why disclose the result in the question?

How can students learn to discover results themselves, if textbooks just spoonfeed them right in the exercise, before asking them to prove it? Why don't these textbook problems educate students on ...
user131533's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
178 views

Which books on geometry and topology are best for teaching an intro graduate course?

I'm teaching a graduate (Master's) introduction to geometry and topology (e.g. some basics on manifolds, vector bundles, algebraic topology). What textbooks have you found are best for teaching a ...
David Corwin's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
724 views

How can I internalize solutions/proofs to theorems and exercises?

In particular, my question is about abstract mathematics such as group theory, analysis, topology, etc. where most textbooks are filled with exercises which require proof, and how to go about ...
pyridoxal_trigeminus's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
253 views

How do you know when a textbook is too difficult for you?

Not sure if this is more appropriate for here or for Math.SE, but here goes: How does one who is self-studying mathematics determine if a textbook is too hard for you? Math is hard in general, but ...
pyridoxal_trigeminus's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
328 views

What are your experiences with Buck’s Advanced Calculus?

I stumbled across the book when searching for rigorous alternatives to Rudin with some solutions. It’s an “old school” (1965) calculus text but, I think, covers similar material to Rudin in a more ...
akm's user avatar
  • 141
3 votes
2 answers
242 views

How to understand the book and the material to the deepest possible level?

I'm a first year mathematics major and I have a problem with my learning process. In my university, I only have books and questions that the university published, so I have to learn the most of the ...
newmathstudent123123's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Is there a College Algebra book that was written by a world-class mathematician? [duplicate]

I have taught College Algebra several times and will teach it again in the next semester. College Algebra, according to the catalogue of my college, is described as follows: This course provides ...
Zuriel's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
145 views

Worldwide standard textbooks vs textbooks from one's home country vs lecture notes by various people - pros and cons

So far I've had three types of professors in my undergrad studies when it comes to choosing the main text for the course: Type A: these are the professors who pick some standard textbook(s) in English ...
MathIsCool's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
213 views

How do you study subjects you're not that interested in

I'm an undergraduate who doesn't find analysis particularly interesting, but I'm taking a calculus on manifolds course next semester, so I'm reviewing measure and integration theory since my grasp on ...
Obamafish's user avatar
  • 141
4 votes
2 answers
276 views

Why has the chapter on second-order differential equations been moved to the website instead of being put in the book in Stewart Calculus 9th edition?

From the book The chapter on Second-Order Differential Equations, as well as the associated appendix section on complex numbers, has been moved to the website. It doesn't mention a reason in the ...
HyperDimensionalBeing's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
197 views

ELL textbooks for core university math?

Any references for core textbooks aimed at English language learners at the university level? I have need of them for: Calculus I-II-III, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations. Most of my ...
Jay's user avatar
  • 29
2 votes
2 answers
498 views

Is Stewart Calculus a good book for AP calculus exam prep?

I have some background from completing Silvanus Thompson's book, but I didn't fully grasp the later chapters in it. I'm going to use khan academy and maybe other resources as a supplement. How useful ...
HyperDimensionalBeing's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
2k views

Singapore Math textbooks for secondary/"high school"?

Could anyone familiar with Singapore please tell me what is the name of a common textbook used for Math in Singapore's secondary schools? I am looking for topics covered for ages 14-18. I am very ...
Wasp's user avatar
  • 189
0 votes
1 answer
487 views

Wackerly (2007) vs. Larsen (2018) — Introduction to Mathematical Statistics

How does Dennis Wackerly, Richard L. Scheaffer's Mathematical Statistics with Applications, 7th Edition published in 2007 MATERIALLY differ from Richard J. Larsen, Morris Marx's Introduction to ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
234 views

The Basic Practice of Statistics vs. Introduction to the Practice of Statistics

How does David S. Moore; William I. Notz; Michael Fligner's 2021 9 edn. The Basic Practice of Statistics differ from David S. Moore; George P. McCabe; Bruce Craig's 2021 10 edn Introduction to the ...
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5 votes
5 answers
2k views

Is Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompson a good book for first-time calculus learners?

Specifically the one updated by Martin Gardner. I'm not studying as part of a high school or college course (I, in the near future, will though) just as a personal project.
HyperDimensionalBeing's user avatar
-3 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why so many single-variable calculus textbooks? But still no equivalents to Visual Group Theory or Complex Analysis for other subjects?

OUP published Visual Complex Analysis in 1999. MAA published Visual Group Theory in 2009. But no visualization counterparts have been published for other subjects like (Commutative) Algebra, ...
user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
707 views

Looking for copies of Vasily Vasilovich Davydov's mathematics curriculum

From The Development of Algebra in the Elementary Mathematics Curriculum of V.V. Davydov (by Jean Schmittau, State University of New York at Binghamton , and Anne Morris , University of Delaware ) one ...
athos's user avatar
  • 665
0 votes
3 answers
210 views

Highly intuitive yet comprehensive and easily readable (student friendly) book on linear algebra which do not focus much on applications, just basics

I came to know about Gilbert Strang's two books, "Introduction to Linear Algebra" and "Linear Algebra and its Applications". The first is the one used as the text in the 18.06 ...
Abhishek Ghosh's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

How do math professors select textbooks?

I will describe what I mean by the above with an example. Suppose you are a professor, about to teach a first Calculus course in a university. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of calculus books out ...
Gauss's user avatar
  • 163
4 votes
2 answers
139 views

Textbooks with solutions and catering to different circumstances

Questions: Are we really taking students into account FULLY when writing textbooks for various areas? Also, are we being unintentionally elitist or dismissive when neglecting to take a more humble ...
EddieMath's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
135 views

Arithmetical Progression

I recently came across a very old Algebra textbook from the 1860s, and on the chapter discussing "arithmetical progression", it says there are "20 cases for arithmetical progression&...
Wasp's user avatar
  • 189
2 votes
1 answer
178 views

When and where were textbooks that use set notation for basic algebra solutions?

A past question described a school where many teachers insisted that answers to algebra problems had to be phrased in set-theoretic language or notation. For example, when asked to solve $2x+3=6−x$, ...
Malady's user avatar
  • 129
0 votes
2 answers
701 views

manual solutions to graduate textbooks [closed]

Where can I find manual solution for textbooks like Advanced Linear Algebra by Rotman or Introduction to Smooth manifolds by Lee? any help would be appreciated
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
308 views

Looking for rigorous books to review geometry, trig, and precalculus

I've taken Calculus 1 and it's time to relearn because I've forgotten some of it. But it's been a couple months since I've done any solid mathematics. I was hoping for a book that would include ...
The_Pleading_one's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
192 views

An intuitive (non rigorous) text book on graph theory which is student friendly with vivid illustrations

Background Hello, I am an undergraduate in CS. I would like to study Graph Theory on my own (self-study) for a competitive examination (named GATE). It is an examination for undergraduates and as such,...
Abhishek Ghosh's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
303 views

Should I do all the proof practice problems in How to Prove It, an intro to proofs book?

Like the title says. I am self studying intro to proofs(How to prove it by velleman) so I can start an introduction to analysis. I am wondering if I should complete all the exercises in the textbook(...
vmusegameon's user avatar
5 votes
7 answers
856 views

What is a good second book in high school geometry?

I have been looking at questions on Math Stack Exchange and I am frequently coming across topics that sound as if they could have been optional chapters in a high school geometry class, but I have ...
RobertTheTutor's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
412 views

Why are most college level math textbooks black and white only?

Why are higher level math textbooks almost completely black and white? I can't think of any math textbooks on a subject more advanced than calculus that uses colors. Edited to add that the comments by ...
Lina's user avatar
  • 51
10 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why are all educational textbooks copyrighted? ©

I had an idea to improve education in my country with the help of textbooks by popular authors. I thought to publish videos on YouTube with comments and practical explanations about what the author ...
Saynov Dias's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
727 views

What famous graduate math textbooks use color?

I know that undergrad math books use colors, like Gilbert Strang in his undergrad Linear Algebra textbooks and Measure, Integration & Real Analysis by Sheldon Axler. Many first year calculus ...
user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
72 views

Material and textbooks for CLIL learners

I have a quite broad questions. I'm a math teacher in Switzerland (high school level, school year 9-12). We teach following topics (among others): quadratic equations, quadratic functions, system of ...
garondal's user avatar
  • 131
4 votes
2 answers
164 views

What determines whether a textbook publishes all solutions to exercises?

Robert Ash (1935-2015) touts in the Preface to Real Variables with Basic Metric Space Topology, I rely especially on one of the most useful of all learning devices: the inclusion of detailed ...
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
300 views

How can I convince authors to publish the Instructor's Solution Manual to students?

This question applies to solely books already accompanied by an ISM ("Instructor's Solution Manual) — access is restricted to instructors. Some don't even sell a SSM (Students' Solution Manual) ...
user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
114 views

Math elementary textbooks [closed]

I’m a master student in Turkey. I’m researching math textbooks from different counties to compare them for my thesis. However, it is really difficult to find them. I need your suggestions. Or is there ...
Gülümden Aktürk's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
313 views

Looking for a calculus books with very specific requirements

I plan to record lectures for a MOOC on Calculus sometime next year. The MOOC is targeted at an undergraduate audience that comprises engineers, math majors as well as majors in the sciences, etc. ...
Jaikrishnan's user avatar

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