5 comments about Using SPSS for Windows and Macintosh: Analyzing and Understanding Data (5th Edition).

1. As an ABD graduate student, I have found this book to be very useful to me. It is the best book I have seen for just taking you through the procedures of using SPSS. Most stats books are only theory leaving you to your lab mates to learn how to actually do anything, but this book for the most part solved that problem for me. Very parcemonous and down to earth.



2. I have been struggling with learning SPSS using a text recommended by a professor. I was given the suggestion to try this by another colleague. I found the detailed information to be just what I needed. I would recommend it to others!



3. This book basically goes through what the options are under file, edit, view, etc. The help menu in the program would suffice for this. It also does not go through enough examples of when you would use the options.



4. Receive book in excellant condition. I am using it in class now. Thanks.



5. Using SPSS is a good manual to navigate you through using SPSS. It is idiot-proof to follow if you just do what it says. Time-consuming to read the whole thing but good for picking out specific functions to learn. Would recommend this book. Includes a CD with data sets to use while following along with the reading.

5 comments about Calculus: Single and Multivariable.

1. If you want to learn integration techniques and become a whiz at basic computational calculus, you need another book. If you want a book that gives you a lot of proofs and tons of examples, you also probably need another book.
   
   So why do I give the book 4 stars? The answer is _the problems_. I used this book for 3 semesters of calculus, and I felt like I actually discovered a lot of the machinery of calculus just by doing the problems. It's a great feeling to discover rather than be taught. That's what this book helps you do.
   
   Of course, this means you will probably have to do a few more problems than the teacher assigns (unless the teacher is very in tune with the book and knows exactly which problems are related). Also, when you get to techniques of integration, you'll probably need to refer to other books for examples.
   
   Another downside is the cost. But, unfortunately, that's a problem with all American text books.
   
   Oh and about the book and solution manual not giving many solutions... Don't worry about it. When you solve most of these problems, you _know_ when you get the answer because everything will click and make sense. This is a fun book for problem solvers.



2. If I had to learn solely from this book, I would not know anything about calculus. This book is a great tool for professors to supplement their teachings, but not very good as a stand alone if you are trying to learn on your own. There are lots of examples throughout many of the chapters that skip crucial steps and of course the even problems are much harder than the odds which have answers in the back. I'm mostly glad that this book covers three semesters of math credit at my community college.



3. This book is not for learning, it does not have a single example how to solve problem, all it have is problems and answers, and that all



4. This book is more focused on applications than the two other calculus books I have used. However, it omits the trigonemetric functions secant, cosecant, and cotangent.



5. This book was written to make the teachers job easier by providing large sets of problems and lots of questions. The real issue is that most schools, or students for that matter, do not have the time or resources to ask or answer the number of questions, mostly in the form of grey areas, which this book introduces.
   
   So back to what everyone else is saying about this book. It's missing patient examples with fine grain explanations of how to apply sometimes convoluted steps in solving a problem. I don't feel the material sticks as well when my own theory of the material is the only supporting detail. I am sure the author thinks it's the teacher's sole responsibility to provide the details where they are not given in the book but this is back to paragraph A) of my review. I have learned many programming languages and material by reading books and apply what I learned in those books to real world problems or inferring a solution to a problem from what I learned out of the book. Learning and understanding key concepts is the first step, then throw us into the water.
   
   My best advice for students that are required to use this book is to find the tutor's solutions in PDF form, if you can. The tutor's solutions have the full solutions to ALL of the problems in the book (even odd) and the solutions are very well written. The solutions PDF has been the most valuable tool in cracking the enigma.

5 comments about Calculus: Single Variable.

1. This book is terrible. Learning Calculus with the "aid" of this textbook was painful and unproductive. Examples are short, lack explanation, and are too specific to be applied to any other exercises. Simply awful. Fortunately my college is switching back to Steward's calculus book, which is like heaven compared to this book. The only acceptable use for this book is toilet paper, and even then it is horrible.



2. Little explanation or background is provided to orient the student; the book assumes the reader has been using trigonometry and algebra on a daily basis for the better part of adulthood. An example of this is the section on rates and related rates (4.6). There are two paragraphs given in the way of explanation:
   
   "Derivatives represent rates of change. In this section, we see how to calculate rates in a variety of situations."
   
   And...
   
   "In Example 1, the radius of the snowball decreased at a constant rate. A more realistic scenario is for the radius to decrease at different rates at different times. Then, we may not be able to write a formula for V as a function of t. However, we may still be able to calculate dV/dt, as in the following example."
   
   No mention of how the process of working related rates problems is similar to implicit differentiation. No step-by-step outline of a general way to go about working this category of problem. Just examples outside of any framework.
   
   Better for a refresher in Calculus for graduate students than a freshman-level course. I used Stewart's "Calculus: Concepts and Contexts" to learn how to do the assigned work from this text.
   
   Don't think the solutions manual will help--only a subset of the odd problems in the text are described and the explanations are often wanting.



3. I should start out by saying that I haven't seen this newest edition, but if it's similar to the older ones which also got unfair reviews, I can safely say that this book deserves at least a 3. It is certainly not a one star book, and I suspect that those reviewers are just taking their frustrations out on the easiest target (because as we all know, doing poorly in calculus is NEVER the student's fault).
   
   I don't think this is the book to use if you're a math major, but other than that it's good. I taught myself calculus with an older edition when I was in 11th grade and I felt that I had an intuitive understanding of the subject even if I couldn't do a proof. I think that intuitive understanding should be the goal of a calculus book that isn't necessarily designed for math majors (this book seems more suited for biology majors or something similar).
   
   Probably my biggest complaint is that the book, like so many others, isn't clear about what is an acceptable proof and what is just a convincing(hopefully) argument. Students may believe that such arguments are valid proofs, and I think the authors should make it clear what the case may be. This is the main reason I wouldn't recommend the book to math majors, but just about anyone else should gain a good understanding of calculus from this book.



4. I've taught out of this book for several years. Students learn to understand the concepts through some very useful and interesting problems. Extremely well-written.



5. This calculus textbook provides challenging sample problems and clear proofs for calculus students. It highlights the main points well, surrounding each must-know point with an extremely helpful blue box (actually you could probably learn calculus by just reading the blue boxes). Exercises range from easy to very challenging and from random to practical. While most of the problems can be done by hand, a graphing calculator is necessary to get the most out of this book. For those taking AP Calculus, this book covers both AB and BC.

4 comments about Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics with Student CD.

1. I was pleased from start to finish. It was the correct book, in great condition, it had the CD as stated and it came in a timely fashion.



2. Its a text book, examples are good and the link to excel has been benificial. Good luck on your course.



3. the book was new and was shipped on time! I love it. My books are time sensative and I was able to get them on time. Thanks!



4. The book is a textbook and purchased for class, so of course it fulfills its purpose. I do want to say that Amazon.com's service has been exceptional.

5 comments about Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics.

1. This book really helped to simplify much of the statistical information that I received in class. I warn that some chapters are more digestible than others but overall it is a good book for someone who is likely to struggle in a statistics class.



2. The book was brand new and arrived very promptly! The only thing I would caution you when buying this book, is that is does NOT include the CD with it...so research a little further before purchasing. Overall, great experience and a great book!



3. This text is easy to read, easy to understand and therefore not intimidating as far as Stats Texbooks go.



4. the order matched the product description perfectly and i got my book in 2 days as promised. i was left extremely satisfied with my purchase.



5. This book is a good but it truly does not cover biostatistics as well as Clinical Epidemiology by Fletcher or Designing Clinical Research by Stephen Hulley. I think that the other two books are a better buy for your buck. This book is well written but very specific in whom it will appeal to--namely those users who need assistance in the use of the computerized statistical packages.

5 comments about Calculus: Early Transcendental Functions.

1. As an instructor at a small college, I am called on to teach nearly every course in the math and computer science departments. Therefore, my reasons for examining this book were to determine the suitability as a text for our calculus courses. In that regard, I found it suitable for a two-course sequence in beginning calculus.
   Compared to nearly all other texts, it is quite short, on the order of 500 pages. Therefore, it does not contain enough material for a three-course sequence. The coverage is basic differentiation and integration with a final section that is an introduction to differential equations. Exercises with solutions to odd-numbered ones are included. The following is a list of positive features of this book:
   
   *) Very little time is spent in the review of precalculus topics. In my opinion, using a lot of ink to review mathematical basics is a waste of ink. If the students don't have it by now, they shouldn't be in the course.
   *) Very little time is spent in "using technology" sections. Some books try to do the Mathematica, Maple and Excel triad, showing how to solve problems using all three. While I recognize the value of technology, I also know that learning the concepts of calculus is challenging enough without throwing in the technology. If you know the calculus concepts, learning the technology is easy, but if you don't know the calculus, then the technology is of little value.
   *) Proofs of selected theorems are included in an appendix. This allows instructors to pick and choose which proofs to cover and which to leave out. One criticism I have leveled against other calculus books is that proofs of the major concepts are not included. My approach is that while not all proofs should be examined, there are times when a proof should be presented and thoroughly dissected. Even though many of the calculus students will not go on in math, calculus is still a math course and math is based on proofs.
   *) Several worked examples are included when every new concept is introduced.
   
   At this point, I consider this the best calculus text available if all you are interested in is a book for a two-course sequence. However, if you would prefer one text for the standard three-course sequence, then you will have to look elsewhere.



2. This book is no where near a book which intends to teach calculus. It is rather like when your grandma' talks about her past. "Oh good times.."
   
   Do not expect to be shown any rigorous proofs or see any logical strength in this book what so ever. What it will do, however, is just show you a few pictures and formulas. No detailed explanations, No sense of enthusiasm for the beauty of the mathematical content, No sense of style or logical path for you to follow. I do guarantee that not only you won't enjoy this book, you will hate it for its indifference.
   
   If you have some better book (an example would be calculus by James Stewart) you will clearly see the illness in this book's logic. Topics are introduced as though they were by a tired old man who hates calculus. This is integral, this is what it looks like. Now example and here is the formula for you to use, plug in these numbers. It is rather disgusting what they have done to mathematics.
   
   I do not recommend this weak book on such strong subject. Please do research for yourself and find a better book with more quality. Like I said above, better book (in my personal opinion) is the fifth edition of Calculus by James Stewart. I'm sure there are even better books than that, too. So don't waste your time with this one.



3. I ordered the book a late Tuesday night and I received it Friday afternoon with expediated services. The exchange of the book and money went extremely well. Book Kube was very helpful and nice in sending me an e-mail about when the book was shipped, by what company and about when he thought it would arrive. Overall, I would work with Bookkube again and purchase items from Amazon.com!!!!!!



4. I love this calculus book. I transfered colleges once and ended up using Larson's at one and Stewart's at the other. In addition, I had to TA a course with Stewart's. I have to say that I think Larson's is more for geared to the Engineers and Science than Stewart's. However, I still think Larson's book works so much better on all majors at introducing Calculus to students that are new to college and have little background in theory. This is not a theory book. However, if the student is in the math field he will have plenty of time in his analysis series to learn all the theory.
   The one part that this book and Stewart's book lack is where theory is needed more, Vector Calculus. For this part, I always recommend (and am trying to get the department to make standard) is Vector Calculus by Marsden.



5. This book tries so hard to teach the material that it fails. It is not helpful and does not explain concepts very well.

3 comments about Beginning Algebra with Applications.

1. This is an easy to use book, but I've checked the third and fourth editions, and except for different equations, the content is the same. My instructor said it made no difference which edition I used, so I went with the third one.



2. Not too long after getting the confirmation that my payment went through ok, I got an email from Raerae313 letting me know that she would be shipping out the book I ordered. Not many sellers will let you know if they ever received payment for it. You are left worrying until the book finally shows up at your door step. It was a great experience and I received her book long before any of the others that i had purchased on the same day. I will look forward to buying from her again if she has anymore books I need.



3. This book manages to keep it simple, and in doing so, proves to be a great resource for those looking to brush up on rusty skills.

2 comments about Excursions In Modern Mathematics with Mini-Excursions (6th Edition).

1. It took WAY too long! I ordered Expdient shipping and it took a week and a half! I REALLY needed this book for my class. It wasn't a good experience at all!



2. First, please notice the other reviewer seemed to be upset about their shipping mishap, not the book. Don't you hate it when someone confuses their purchase experience with the book content, then describes the book content in terms of their purchase experience?!?!
   
   I have taken many college math courses, including algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. Calculus was the only one that had some application to the real world, until the Modern Math class which used this book.
   
   The first chapter starts out with preference ballots, which is relevant in our world of 3rd party candidates stealing elections (think Nader and Perot). It is interesting to see how many voting systems can be applied with varying winners and fairness. After elections and weighted ballots, you learn about Fibonacci Numbers, Golden Ratio, Gnomons, and Spiral growths. Population growth math is explored, as is fractals, symmetry, geometry, statistics, probabilities, and distributions.
   
   Everyone in my class remarked on how much they actually enjoyed the course and the actual textbook. This textbook is extremely easy to read and use, with many colorful pictures, graphs, and side notes. The sections are very easy to digest because they are short and sweet, usually covering one concept per section.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone who is simply interested in the real-world application of math, not just those taking a course which requires this book. There is a student solutions manual sold separately, but don't bother. This book has all the odd answers in the back, and it is not terribly difficult anyways. It is just challenging enough to still be interesting.

1 comments about Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus.

1. I have to use this book for a college math class and I have completely given up trying to learn anything from it. It gives very brief explanations and examples and then asks questions that it has not addressed at all. Everyone in my math class HATES this book, we were even warned about the fact that most students don't like it by our teacher when the class began (now that's a bad sign). I also have a private math tutor who, while he does understand what the questions are asking (he has a masters degree in Physics), doesn't understand why the authors of this book ask their questions in such ridiculous and hard to understand ways. DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!!

5 comments about Precalculus: Mathematics for Calculus, Enhanced Review Edition (with CD-ROM and iLrn Printed Access Card).

1. There are tons of textbooks on Precalculus like this one out there. Larson's is just another equally good textbook on the subject of calculus and Precalculus. However, I see no much uniqueness and innovations in any of the calculus books like this type. Richard Feynman, one of America's greatest physicists, once said most of the popular textbooks (on physics) were somewhat mediocre. I would recommend those who are aspired for an austere treatment of elementary mathematics, ie, pre-calculus and beginning calculus, to go for the book High-school mathematics by some Russian mathematicians. ISBN: 5030010114 This series is just so comprehensive with lucid explanations that every high school math teacher should take a look at it. It's both fun and benefitial to read books on math translated from another language.



2. This product was everything that it promised to be. I will continue to order from amazon.



3. I have never used the CD, but the book is okay. If you are going to take calculus in the future than you should get a cheaper precalculus book and save some money. This is essentially the same as the 4th edition, except the price tag. Only get if you absolutely must for a class.



4. This and the student guide have enough errors in the solutions that it'll have you questioning your work. Thank goodness for a patient professor (and I'm an A student). The sections don't cover very well the material in the questions at the end of the chapter. It is written a little better than the Algebra book by the same authors but if this can be avoided, avoid it. My own professor doesnt teach out of it, just assigns work from the end of the chapters...thats how bad it is.



5. One of the best online shopping experiences I've ever had. I placed an order and the book was at my home in 1 week in the condition listed. I will definitely look to buy from this person again!