Misteaks [sic] and how to find them before the teacher does: A calculus supplement

by Barry Cipra

This unusual, but very useful, 'how-not-to' book is available in a second edition which eliminates most involuntary mistakes. Three well-known teachers have testified to its Ross L. Finney, coauthor of Calculus and Analytic Geometry; Philip J. Davis, coauthor of The mathematical Experience; and Ralph P. Boas, former editor of The American Mathematical Monthly.

69 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Kyle Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book

[Yumeko (blushes) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books I've read that have made me laugh; you would wonder what that says about me considering that this is a math book, but the author really convinced me to read other stuff of his.
On top of that, it's fascinating, usually mildly but I saw alot of heuristical approaches to check if you're wrong that really were not obvious to me; surprising because I find calculus to be generally rather uninteresting, mostly because of how mechanical it is. The more I learn the more it just seems like a tool, and this book shows me a few nuances in its use I probably wouldn't have realized myself, but nothing really changed about how I think of it.
In the case that I'm told that I don't know what I'm talking about because I haven't done enough math (and certainly not whatever higher math is supposed to be), I would honestly agree (🤲).