What do you think?
Rate this book
Calculus Simplified
An accessible, streamlined, and user-friendly approach to calculus
Calculus is a beautiful subject that most of us learn from professors, textbooks, or supplementary texts. Each of these resources has strengths but also weaknesses. In Calculus Simplified, Oscar Fernandez combines the strengths and omits the weaknesses, resulting in a "Goldilocks approach" to learning calculus: just the right level of detail, the right depth of insights, and the flexibility to customize your calculus adventure.
Fernandez begins by offering an intuitive introduction to the three key ideas in calculus--limits, derivatives, and integrals. The mathematical details of each of these pillars of calculus are then covered in subsequent chapters, which are organized into mini-lessons on topics found in a college-level calculus course. Each mini-lesson focuses first on developing the intuition behind calculus and then on conceptual and computational mastery. Nearly 200 solved examples and more than 300 exercises allow for ample opportunities to practice calculus. And additional resources--including video tutorials and interactive graphs--are available on the book's website.
Calculus Simplified also gives you the option of personalizing your calculus journey. For example, you can learn all of calculus with zero knowledge of exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions--these are discussed at the end of each mini-lesson. You can also opt for a more in-depth understanding of topics--chapter appendices provide additional insights and detail. Finally, an additional appendix explores more in-depth real-world applications of calculus.
Learning calculus should be an exciting voyage, not a daunting task. Calculus Simplified gives you the freedom to choose your calculus experience, and the right support to help you conquer the subject with confidence.
- An accessible, intuitive introduction to first-semester calculus
- Nearly 200 solved problems and more than 300 exercises (all with answers)
- No prior knowledge of exponential, logarithmic, or trigonometric functions required
- Additional online resources--video tutorials and supplementary exercises--provided
Calculus is a beautiful subject that most of us learn from professors, textbooks, or supplementary texts. Each of these resources has strengths but also weaknesses. In Calculus Simplified, Oscar Fernandez combines the strengths and omits the weaknesses, resulting in a "Goldilocks approach" to learning calculus: just the right level of detail, the right depth of insights, and the flexibility to customize your calculus adventure.
Fernandez begins by offering an intuitive introduction to the three key ideas in calculus--limits, derivatives, and integrals. The mathematical details of each of these pillars of calculus are then covered in subsequent chapters, which are organized into mini-lessons on topics found in a college-level calculus course. Each mini-lesson focuses first on developing the intuition behind calculus and then on conceptual and computational mastery. Nearly 200 solved examples and more than 300 exercises allow for ample opportunities to practice calculus. And additional resources--including video tutorials and interactive graphs--are available on the book's website.
Calculus Simplified also gives you the option of personalizing your calculus journey. For example, you can learn all of calculus with zero knowledge of exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions--these are discussed at the end of each mini-lesson. You can also opt for a more in-depth understanding of topics--chapter appendices provide additional insights and detail. Finally, an additional appendix explores more in-depth real-world applications of calculus.
Learning calculus should be an exciting voyage, not a daunting task. Calculus Simplified gives you the freedom to choose your calculus experience, and the right support to help you conquer the subject with confidence.
- An accessible, intuitive introduction to first-semester calculus
- Nearly 200 solved problems and more than 300 exercises (all with answers)
- No prior knowledge of exponential, logarithmic, or trigonometric functions required
- Additional online resources--video tutorials and supplementary exercises--provided
- GenresMathematics
272 pages, Paperback
Published June 11, 2019
About the author
Oscar E. Fernandez
8 books13 followersI am an assistant professor of mathematics at Wellesley College. Math has always been a passion of mine, and now that I've written my first book---Everyday Calculus---I'm looking forward to sharing the wonders of math with more than just my students. Read more about me, my book, and my research at my website: www.surroundedbymath.com. Also, check out my my tweets at @EverydayCalc.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 17, 2022
As someone who has neither practiced nor approached Calculus since my last two years in high school, I found 'Calculus Simplified' by Oscar E. Fernandez a surprisingly effective return to the subject. The book does an excellent job presenting the fundamentals of Calculus in a manner I found accessible, approachable, and more empathetic than I experienced as a student. Dr. Fernandez is a superior teacher, and his compassion for his readers is ever-present in his text. "Calculus is a mindset," Fernandez writes, and I applaud him for instilling such a positive one in this book.
I shared 'Calculus Simplified' with a fellow educator for a second opinion on its use in the classroom. We agreed that Dr. Fernandez's "shorter and more succinct" approach to Calculus is probably the best strategy for modern students. We were pleased to learn the book has a website accompanying it and closely follows the AP Calculus Mathematical Practices curriculum, all welcome features. I found the website's appendixes and errata particularly good inclusions, and Dr. Fernandez's hand-written solutions to his online practice tests are a stroke of genius.
That said, my colleague and I feel the layout of 'Calculus Simplified' is a bit too simplified. There is little variety in the text's appearance, which we agreed could have benefited from more color-coding. While we don't fault the author for this since such layout decisions were likely out of his hands, we feel they should at least not carry over to the book's website. (The dark blue "Calculus" on the website's orange banner, for example, left a noticeable afterimage for both myself and my colleague, whom I should note is color-blind.)
We also thought the book and website would have benefited from more real-world examples, particularly after seeing some of the fascinating GIFs and images on Dr. Fernandez's Twitter page. (And yes, I'm referring to Dr. Fernandez's hilarious #RogueOne tweet when I write that.) In my experience, students are more likely to remember—and more importantly, enjoy—math problems when they're presented as something they can visualize or might genuinely want to know, such as Ken Keeler's Futurama theorem, the slope of a sand dune BB-8 is rolling down, an equation Tony Stark tried to solve in 'Avengers: Endgame,' or the rate at which the second Death Star's gravity increased during its construction in 'Return of the Jedi.' Fortunately, such inclusions could easily be added to any lesson plan by an instructor, which we strongly encourage if they use this book in class.
In all, 'Calculus Simplified' is an effective introduction to the subject and, for those like me, an excellent refresher. 4 stars.
I shared 'Calculus Simplified' with a fellow educator for a second opinion on its use in the classroom. We agreed that Dr. Fernandez's "shorter and more succinct" approach to Calculus is probably the best strategy for modern students. We were pleased to learn the book has a website accompanying it and closely follows the AP Calculus Mathematical Practices curriculum, all welcome features. I found the website's appendixes and errata particularly good inclusions, and Dr. Fernandez's hand-written solutions to his online practice tests are a stroke of genius.
That said, my colleague and I feel the layout of 'Calculus Simplified' is a bit too simplified. There is little variety in the text's appearance, which we agreed could have benefited from more color-coding. While we don't fault the author for this since such layout decisions were likely out of his hands, we feel they should at least not carry over to the book's website. (The dark blue "Calculus" on the website's orange banner, for example, left a noticeable afterimage for both myself and my colleague, whom I should note is color-blind.)
We also thought the book and website would have benefited from more real-world examples, particularly after seeing some of the fascinating GIFs and images on Dr. Fernandez's Twitter page. (And yes, I'm referring to Dr. Fernandez's hilarious #RogueOne tweet when I write that.) In my experience, students are more likely to remember—and more importantly, enjoy—math problems when they're presented as something they can visualize or might genuinely want to know, such as Ken Keeler's Futurama theorem, the slope of a sand dune BB-8 is rolling down, an equation Tony Stark tried to solve in 'Avengers: Endgame,' or the rate at which the second Death Star's gravity increased during its construction in 'Return of the Jedi.' Fortunately, such inclusions could easily be added to any lesson plan by an instructor, which we strongly encourage if they use this book in class.
In all, 'Calculus Simplified' is an effective introduction to the subject and, for those like me, an excellent refresher. 4 stars.
July 16, 2025
It's a readable book on calculus that's full of sample problems. Good for me, used it to review for the actuarial exam.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews