Engineering Mathematics
Stroud
10 people recommended it in 6 threads, 2017–2023.
What people on Hacker News said
If you're weak on basic algebra etc, then you should instead start with "engineering mathematics" by Stroud, which has a foundations section that I started with several years ago when I started relearning math. It's designed for self-study.
But what surprises people is that it starts off with the properties of addition and multiplication - it's that simple. It's a book that starts from zero and takes you very, very far.
It is probably the best pair of books ever written for what I like to call “plug and chug” maths. Strouds books cover the whole of engineering mathematics.
31 chapters each composed of about 60 problems. The problems are progressive and contain explanations of the new concepts that they contain.
Lots of worked examples. Very easy to follow and really helped me "teach myself" calculus and advanced calculus.
Starts with bare essentials and goes a long way. It’s amazing how much you can learn from this book.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics? 2019 · 3 recommendations
- Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math? 2023 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager? 2020 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- Georgia Tech's free math textbook collective 2017 · 1 recommendation