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Calculus for Dummies?

Thunderchief said:
Hi

I looking for books or a guide of some kind to help me learn calculus, the snag is I know very little math of any kind.

My math is limited to basic Algebra, and I've not used it for so long that I'm a more that a bit rusty.

I'm interested in DSP as related to audio, and this requires some knowledge of calculus, which I don't have.

So any good "teach yourself advaced math" books availible?

Thanks

Simon.
Click to expand...

There is an excellent 'dictionary of mathematics' I got a few years ago that isn't a beginners book, but is a good nutshell explaination of a LOT of branches of mathematics. I'm approximately 160 degrees of longitude from home right now, bug me next week about the identity of the book, if you're stillinterested.

Also Morrison's "Fourier Analysis" is a good text on frequency analysis, something that you will need to understand audio DSP, something I am rumoured to have some grasp of. (see my "url" tab) If you can find a copy of Rabiner and Gold's "Digital Signal Processing" (it's out of print) it's pretty good, and because it's very old, pretty basic, too. A book on Laplace Transforms might be helpful, but you'll find that the mapping of infinity to pi gets you confused with 'Z' transform notation.

Feel free to PM at me for more info.
 
Thunderchief said:
Hi

I looking for books or a guide of some kind to help me learn calculus, the snag is I know very little math of any kind.

My math is limited to basic Algebra, and I've not used it for so long that I'm a more that a bit rusty.

I'm interested in DSP as related to audio, and this requires some knowledge of calculus, which I don't have.

So any good "teach yourself advaced math" books availible?

Thanks

Simon.
Click to expand...


I understand your pain. The absolute best book for calculus dummies like us is http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/103-8264785-1452612?v=glance&s=books

...which I cannot rate highly enough!
 
JJ

Thanks for the tips, as I mentioned in the post above i'm currently reading "The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing" which seems quite a good plain English guide to DSP, it does however still contain significant amounts of math. It's understanding the fourmulas and how to apply them, that I need I think.

Simon.
 
Re: Re: Re: Calculus for Dummies?

Thunderchief said:


Thanks Diamond, that looks like a great book, It's got some good reviews. My Amazon wish list is getting bigger and bigger. :D

Simon.
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I would recommend that you get "How to Ace..." first before any others. I have a lot of calculus books but this one and the sequel "How to ace the rest of calculus" are about the best to get you refreshed and raring to go about some calculus problems...I kid you not. It will get you from basic algebra to limits to differential calculus to integrals in no time - and best of all its funny to read and no math BS either.

I always wondered why the JREF didn't have an Amazon link but Skeptic's Dictionary (at www.skepdic.com) is a worthy cause when, like me, you spend waaaaaay too much on Amazon.com :wink:

Here's one review:
A threat to Calculus as it is currently taught, 20 July, 1999
Reviewer: A reader from Georgia
I am a math professor at a large state university. Like math departments everywhere, we depend on calculus students for our very existence. Students who fail Calculus, or repeat customers as we like to call them, are of course the most highly appreciated of all.

An otherwise good student, given the right combination of obscure lectures and unreadable texts, may pay for the same Calculus course 2, 3 or even 4 times. The Streetwise Guide is too thin and too cheap. Moreover, the writing style gives ordinary students what they need to master Calculus the first time they take it. In other words, this book is a threat to mathematics departments everywhere.
Click to expand...
 
Thunderchief said:
JJ

Thanks for the tips, as I mentioned in the post above i'm currently reading "The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing" which seems quite a good plain English guide to DSP, it does however still contain significant amounts of math. It's understanding the fourmulas and how to apply them, that I need I think.

Simon.
Click to expand...

I can imagine. I'll try to find that dictionary I've got when I get home. If I don't remember, remind me. It's an entire day's travel away at this point, and I forget a lot after 12 hours on airplanes.
 
jj said:


I can imagine. I'll try to find that dictionary I've got when I get home. If I don't remember, remind me. It's an entire day's travel away at this point, and I forget a lot after 12 hours on airplanes.
Click to expand...

That would be great if you could, I would certainly appreciate it. As for memory; I forget a lot after 12 hours, with or without air travel. :D

Simon.
 
jimlintott said:
I'm working on 'How to fool dummies, for dummies'. It has chapters on cold reading, astrology, divining and other cool stuff.
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Heh heh! Like it! Take this to a new thread to find the best title for the book???
 
Thunderchief:
"I'm currently reading Steven W. Smith's "The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing". This has helped me to understand the principles of DSP, but not the application. For example; although I could explain to a layman how the DFT works, I couldn't write a program to use it. Does that make sense?"

Yes , FFTs and DFTs conceptually aren't hard to grasp, the math can be. As far as programming , there are SDKs in basic,C and Java available ( some shareware some trailware so you can play )where all you basically have to do in plug in the numbers. Couple that with a FPGA (field programmable grid array) IC and you have an open platform with incredable flexability. The programable array can be tough to work with but at least your not functionally limited as you would be with a deticated I.C. Most of the SDK's have a library of functions for the FPGA as well

"If you have any easy guides to fourier transforms, then I'm all ears."

Sorry I studied FFTs as both math and engineering a long time ago, so it was part of textbooks.There is a source however of both information and applications regarding all we have discussed. Circuit Cellar magazine...it's on the web and has a library of back issues. Good Luck
 
Thunderchief said:


That would be great if you could, I would certainly appreciate it. As for memory; I forget a lot after 12 hours, with or without air travel. :D

Simon.
Click to expand...

Mathematics - From the Birth of Numbers

by

Jan Gullberg
ISBN 0-393-04002-X

It's quite handy to explain how things originated, which can help a whole lot when you're trying to digest some odd notation or other.
 
jj said:


Mathematics - From the Birth of Numbers

by

Jan Gullberg
ISBN 0-393-04002-X

It's quite handy to explain how things originated, which can help a whole lot when you're trying to digest some odd notation or other.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for your time JJ. I shall look up the title.

TillEulenspiegel, thanks for the tips on the SDK's, I hadn't thought of looking at those. FYI, any implementation I do, will be on a standard PC. I'm not really looking at the FFT yet, I feel that DFT by convolution will be an easy way to start, speed is not really an issue!

Simon.
 
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