Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences

Good comprehensive coverage of most things you'll need in 1st and 2nd year sci/tech courses in top end British Uni's. However it lacks the rigorous formality of the more hardcore texts for Math degrees but will serve you well for engineering and physics related stuff (like it says on the cover).

It's useful to note that this book won't guide you through the concepts and problems in an 'idiot's guide' step-by-step fashion. It's written under the assumption that you've done some A-Level + maths for a while and have had some experiencing in muddling through things on your own. Moreover, much of the format is laid out in a summary type fashion with breif intros and a few examples culminating in a lucid statement of concepts. This approach is usefull especially after you've waded through heavy class notes and are gagging for something concise that puts the stuff in a nutshell....much needed clarity, like finally seeing through the smoke.

The exercise problems are tough, ball breakingly hard in fact! Often leaping beyond the seemingly easy illustrations of the examples. You'll need help from other resources to get through them. Maybe this is deliberate as it get's you desperately banging your head against the wall and /if when you finally get the method right - you won't make the same mistake again.

keep this book after you're done, it'll serve as a good reference thing as well.

A very useful book (9/9 people found this helpful)

This one text covered all of the maths involved in my first year physics degree course, including my optional statistics module, and some error analysis.

The contents and index are detailed, the introductions at the beginning of each chapter are easy to read and understand - for those of us who don't appreciate awkward sentences interspersed with unnecessary jargon and equations, that will neither be remembered nor understood (and don't need to be). I have also found the summary boxes particularly useful when revising for exams or checking things i should know when doing questions.

Overall i was very impressed with this book, much less dry than most of the competition, and not something i will be selling before i finish my degree.

very very good (5/7 people found this helpful)

this is a very good text book. it reminds you of the things you're already supposed to know before moving on. it contains something on almost every area of the first year university maths course and it has some superb appendices including a list of trig identities and probability distributions. this book is very easy to understand and is indispensible to my university maths course.

What can I say? (12/12 people found this helpful)

Wow, I've found my new bible!!! After failing my first maths module at uni, (D'OH!!!) I decided that I needed a new maths textbook to help me. After much searching, I found this comprehensive, and yes enjoyable read. It covers all of the topics in my course, and in such a way that I'm not baffeled, by technical language or jargon. Back to basics you could say, but not in a patronising way. A must for all first years taking physics.

Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences

D.W. Jordan, Peter Smith

Reader Reviews:

one of the best around (3/3 people found this helpful)

A very useful book (9/9 people found this helpful)

very very good (5/7 people found this helpful)

What can I say? (12/12 people found this helpful)

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